I Am King Now
by Enderdeath731
Summary: Is this really what I wanted? All this death and destruction? It's what my father expected of me. But as I stand here, the bodies of the people who were once my friends scattered at my feet, all I can feel is a dark... hollowness. Add-on to the Mianite Collection/Mianite one-shots
1. I Am King Now

**Hey ya'll, it's Ender! I hope you're having a great day and I hope to make it even better with this new one-shot! NOTE: I do ****not**** own Minecraft, Mianite, any YouTubers mentioned, or basically anything else in this story except for the story.**

**WARNING: GORE ALERT!**

I screamed, swinging my sword wildly through the air. Rage blinded my vision, tears of sorrow long gone. Jordan cowered under my blows, his already cut and bleeding arms lifted over his head. He was sobbing, the pain overwhelming him. His house burned around us from the fire I had set off when I first attacked the Overworld.

"You killed my father!" I roared, raising my sword to deal another harsh strike once again. "Prepare to die!"

"I didn't do it!" Jordan cried, ducking under the blade of my sword as I swung it down. "Please, Dec! This isn't you!"

"_That is not my name_!" I snarled, a with a quick twist of my sword, I plunged the diamond blade deep into Jordan's chest. He gasped, his eyes widening before they dimmed. He fell limp and I pulled my sword out, kicking his corpse out of contempt as I stalked past.

I swiftly made my way to his bedroom where I knew Aurey and Kilo were hiding. Orange flames slowly ate away at the wood under my feet but I could not feel the pain from the fire. Fire and lava hadn't bothered me since my father had died.

I kicked open the wooden door that led to Jordan's bedroom, striding inside. Revenge shalt be taken.

Aurey and Kilo were huddled in a corner, both crying. Kilo screamed when he saw me staring at them, his dark blue eyes wide with fear.

It had been five years since I had last seen Kilo. His dark red hair had grown out longer and shaggier, but his eyes - he had his father's eyes - had stayed the same deep blue.

Aurey wrapped her arms tighter around Kilo when she too saw me. I could imagine what a threatening sight I made.

My dark ginger hair was swept to one side by the hot wind of the fire. I had long ago shaved off my unruly beard and my face was stained with ash. My tattered clothes had been replaced with long, dark red robes and a crown of pure gold rested atop my head. My dark brown eyes no longer held a friendly sparkle - but rather, they were the dark cold depths of a man seeking revenge.

Revenge on what, exactly? Revenge on those who underestimated me. Revenge on those who treated me like I was useless. Revenge on those who didn't want me, didn't care if I lived or died.

And revenge on those who killed my father.

* * *

_"Dianite!" I screamed, running through his maze of a palace. I shoved past the pigmen who were patrolling the perimeters, not caring as they stared at me in shock. There was something wrong, dreadfully wrong. Where was the feeling of power that always filled this place? Where was the sensation of an almighty god nearby? _

_I came to a large obsidian door, and grunting with effort, shoved it open. The air that hit me was stale and musty - not like it should be at all._

_Then I noticed Dianite, sprawled out on the floor, thrashing around and clutching his throat. His eyes were closed and he was making horrible choking noises. I noticed the greenish tint on his face and I knew immediately what had happened._

_Poison._

_Someone had poisoned Dianite, god of the Nether_ _\- _my father_ \- and there was nothing I could do to help. I didn't know what kind of poison it was, or if I even knew the cure to reverse it. I could only watch helplessly as Dianite's struggles grew weaker._

_Finally, Dianite stilled, chest rising and falling unsteadily. He gasped for breath and tears swam across my gaze. Tears of pity for the defeated god, tears of horror that someone would do such a thing, and tears of grief, for my father was dying._

_I stumbled over to him, kneeling by his side. Dianite cracked open one clouded-over eye to look at me, shuddering from the poison that was racing through his veins._

_"Declan," Dianite rasped, grabbing my shoulder. His hand felt clammy and weak, but he still held on. "With - with the power I hold as one of the three elder g - gods, I bestow upon you my str - strength, my power, and my l - life. Rule my kingdom well, my son."_

_I stared at Dianite in shock, trying to comprehend what just happened. I suppressed a scream as a jolt of electricity ran through me, resonating with pain._

_Dianite's hand fell limp and it slipped to the floor. Dianite started to breathe heavily again, but it only lasted for a few seconds._

_Silence filled the room as Dianite stopped breathing. I felt icy chains wrap around my heart and I stood, thoroughly shaken._

_Then, I took a deep breath and suddenly everything felt clearer. I knew what I had to do now._

_I had to avenge my father._

* * *

I ended Aurey and Kilo's lives quickly and mercilessly. I left the smoldering house, leaving their bodies still inside. I would send the pigmen to fetch them later.

I strode over to the judgement arena, the obsidian pillars jutting up into the air like claws. A small group of Wither Skeletons was waiting for me, their dark faces emotionless as always.

_"My Lord,"_ The tallest one spoke, stepping forwards. _"We have slain all the mortals. But the wizards are giving us a bit of a - ah - problem."_

"Show me," I demanded, my voice as cold as ice. The Wither Skeletons bowed and quickly walked off, leaving me to follow them.

It soon became clear exactly where the wizards were. The bright sparks of magic flying from the Forest of the Abyss were kind of a dead giveaway.

I descended the steps and saw four of the wizards standing back-to-back near one of the obsidian trees. I saw two bodies lying limp at their feet and quickly identified them as Twisted and the wizard Tom. They had been killed.

User's eyes were sharp with grief for his friend and he was shaking violently. Wag supported him, his silver eyes burning with a murderous rage. Matt and Phil stood side by side, shooting down any Nether mobs that came close using magical arrows shot from their wands.

But there was no two ways about it - they were badly outnumbered. I narrowed my eyes and stalked forwards while the wizards were distracted with fighting my armies. I didn't make a noise until I was standing right next to Wag.

"What do you think you're doing, wizard?" I growled, startling Wag. He whipped around, shooting a tendril of silver magic at me on instinct. I anticipated the attack and raised my hand, easily deflecting the magic.

Wag stared at me, eyes filled with shock and his wand still raised.

"You?" He choked, drawing the attention of the other wizards. "Why?"

"You killed my father," I said coldly. "Now come with me and your deaths will be painless."

"What? No!" Matt protested. "We didn't even know that Dianite was dead!"

"Lies," I hissed. "And you know it. Now come. With. Me."

"N - No," User stuttered, still trembling. "T - Twisted's dead be - because of you. I - I'd rather die th - than listen to you!"

"Very well," I whispered. "And may your defiance be an example to your friends." Before anyone could react, I had thrust my sword deep into User's stomach, not flinching as his blood splattered my hands.

User gasped, his eyes widening. He weakly tried to pull my sword out of his stomach but his hands were too shaky to grasp the hilt, which was now slick with his blood. He collapsed, coughing up more blood as the warm, scarlet liquid streamed from his wound. User's light brown eyes fogged over with pain and he spasmed once, twice, then fell still.

I leaned down and pulled out my sword, the blade shining with User's blood. I glared at the remaining wizards, who were staring at me in horror.

"Well?" I asked smoothly, my tone emotionless, "Anyone else care to object?"

* * *

_I paced the front of Dianite's temple, anxiously awaiting for my scouts to report back. I had sent them to track down any trace of the being that had poisoned and killed my father. At least while I waited, I would have time to sort my thoughts out.  
_

_Dianite was dead. My father was dead and he had passed his power onto me. Already, I felt stronger and more powerful, as if something got in my way, I could squish them like a mere ant. Did gods always feel this way? I hoped not. I would hate to be one of those little 'ants' running around if they were in a bad mood._

_But what was I anymore? Not like a mortal or a demigod; I knew that those days were well behind me now. But who should I define myself as? Was I still Dec, like when I was Mianite's priest? Was I Dianite now, since I held his power? Already, the mobs were calling me 'Dianite V2', but I wasn't sure that I liked that title._

_"What should I call myself?" I whispered, staring at a young pigman child. The little pigman turned to look at me, his red eyes sparkling._

_"Mecha Dianite!" He squeaked, waving his tiny gold sword. "That's an awesome name!"_

_I laughed, momentarily forgetting my troubles. Sure, Mecha Dianite would sound like an awesome name to that young pigman, but for me, it just didn't fit._

_I considered what the mortals had first called me, before I explained to them that I was only a priest. They had called me 'Decanite' and had considered me a god. I first, I was amused, but I soon found it becoming annoying as they tried to pray to me. I had then made sure to stress the point that I was not a god and that my name was Dec._

_But I was a god now. Was my name still Dec? I wasn't sure._

_My musings were interrupted when I noticed my scouts of Wither Skeletons returning. One held something in its hand that I couldn't see clearly from this distance. As they drew closer though, I saw it was a strip of white fabric, seemingly torn from someone's clothes._

"We found this by the portal, caught on a spire of glowstone,"_ The Wither Skeletons reported, holding up the fabric.  
_"It smells of something powerful and godly - we suspect it to be Mianite."

_I felt rage blind my vision, but everything suddenly seemed crystal clear. Mianite. Betrayal. Poison._

_I knew I couldn't kill a god - at least, not yet. But I knew I could destroy what Mianite loved most._

_"Gather the armies," I ordered, my voice as hard as steel. "The time has come to take our revenge. We will attack the mortals at dawn."_

* * *

I led the wizards, who were now bound tightly in ropes, over to the battle arena behind my old house. I forced them down into the obsidian pit, smacking them with the blade of my sword to hurry their slow progress.

Once in the arena, the wizards huddled together, gazing up at me fearfully. They had seen what I did to User, and they were clearly terrified of meeting the same fate.

"Wizards," I called out, voice loud. "You have made a wise decision. You shall not suffer and your deaths shall be painless."

Matt whimpered quietly and shuffled closer to Phil, who was trembling himself. Wag stared up at me, the defiance in his stance overwhelmed by the fear in his eyes.

"So who shall go first?" I sneered, glaring down at the now helpless wizards. "Perhaps you, Matt? I understand you have a fear of fire." I grinned and lifted my hand, summoning a fireball.

Matt stared at me in absolute terror, his bright yellow eyes glistening with tears. Phil glared back up at me, obviously furious with me for threatening his brother. I smirked at the two wizards before lobbing the fireball at them both.

Matt screamed and Phil pulled him out of the way before the fireball crashed into the ground where they had been standing seconds before. Matt was trembling badly and buried his face in Phil's shoulder, sobbing.

"Leave him alone!" Phil shouted, hugging his brother close to him. There was a tremor in his voice that he could not disguise as anger, and the flash of terror that shadowed his eyes let me know that I would have no problem with his resisting.

I jumped down into the pit myself, leaving blazes guarding the exit. I stalked over to Matt and Phil, who cowered against one of the columns as I drew closer.

"I promised it would be painless," I smiled cruelly. "And so it will be."

Phil shrank back but I grabbed his wrist, forcing him to stay still. I touched his forehead with my thumb and index finger, watching with satisfaction as the light in Phil's eyes dimmed and his breathing slowed to a stop.

"What did you do?" Matt shrieked, voice high-pitched with terror. I kicked Phil's body away and knelt next to Matt, noticing just how scared he was.

"I did what was necessary," I murmured. "I did this for my father."

I pressed my fingers to Matt's forehead as well, and before he could flinch away, he too was dead. I stood up, letting Matt's limp body slide to the ground.

It was just Wag now. Wag was the lone survivor of everyone in the Overworld who had been my friend. And he would be the last to die.

"Well, Wag," I sat down next to him with a muffled sigh. "It's just me and you now. How do you want to end this?"

Wag glared at me, not saying a word. I laughed, not at all frightened by him.

"How can you laugh?" Wag suddenly screamed, shutting me up. "You just killed everyone! All your friends, people you've known since you came to this world! And you just - killed them." Wag's voice suddenly grew quiet and he trembled. "I never knew you were a monster."

Quicker than a flash of lightning, I was holding Wag up by his throat, my eyes burning with a murderous rage. Wag gasped and tried to kick me, but I was stronger than him now and I tightened my hold, strangling the wizard.

"I am _not_ a monster," I snarled, watching as Wag started to choke, his struggles growing weaker at a terrifyingly rapid rate. "And you _will_ be sorry you ever called me that."

Wag fell limp and he wheezed, dying from the lack of air. I shook him tauntingly and his eyes began to close, his silvery orbs shrouded with the fog of pain.

I waited until Wag's breathing had slowed almost to a stop. Then, I threw him forcefully onto the ground, hearing several faint cracks as the impact shattered his bones.

Wag didn't move but I knew he was still alive, even if just barely. I beckoned for one of the blazes watching to come down into the arena. The mob obeyed, waiting silently for my orders.

"Finish him," I nudged Wag with my foot. "Then bring him and the others to Lava-fall Cliff. I will be waiting there."

I teleported out of the arena, listening with a cruel smile on my face as one final, pain-filled shriek rang in air behind me.

* * *

_It was time. We were ready. I stared at my armies, which had massed into hundreds, maybe thousands, of Nether mobs.  
_

_"Soldiers!" I screamed. "Dianite was poisoned and killed by his own brother, Mianite! Are we going to stand for this?"_

"No!"

_"So how are we going to get our revenge? How are we going to make Mianite pay for his crimes?"_

"Kill the mortals!"

_"So who we gonna call?"_

"Ghostbusters!" **(A.N. I think I just killed the mood, but I had to do it! XD)  
**

_I smiled. These mobs had perfect answers for every question. They were ready to kill._

_I remember when I first came to live in the Nether five years ago. Dianite expected me to kill and cause pain for power. Back then, it didn't feel right to inflict harm without a cause. But I had a cause now. It was time for revenge._

_I led my armies to the Nether portal and stopped at the swirling purple gate. Once I went through, there would be no coming back. Everything would change._

_So without any hesitation, I stepped into the gateway out of the Nether, ready to cause death._

* * *

I watched silently as Tucker's body was laid down in front of me. He was the last to be brought to the Lava-fall Cliff where he and all the others that had been slain would be cast into the ocean of magma far below.

I started walking, studying each of the bodies as I passed them.

Tucker had obviously been crushed, possibly by a falling wall. His limbs were a mangled mess and his eyes were wide open and glassy, staring blankly up.

Sonja had been killed by the fire, most likely from smoke inhalation. She was covered in soot and her mouth was open in an empty scream.

Felisa and Kitse, Tucker and Sonja's young daughters, were both a bloody mess, covered in cuts and practically torn to pieces. Kilo, who was lying right beside them, only sported a gash on his neck, as did Aurey. Jordan looked like Felisa and Kitse however, from where I had attacked him brutally.

Almost all of the wizards were mangled in some way. Twisted had numerous slices on his neck and a stab wound on Tom's chest was still oozing blood. Dried blood coated User almost completely, making him appear incredibly frail. Matt and Phil had suffered no major physical injuries, but their life force was completely drained. And Wag, of course was lying limp and broken.

My heart caught in my throat as I reached the end of the line. Because there lay Ryley and Linden, side by side even in death. Linden clearly hadn't gone out without a struggle, but Ryley's body was horrifying to look at.

I felt sick as I studied the stab wounds, gashes, and burns that covered Ryley. He had been slaughtered brutally, and must have gone through so much agony as my mobs attacked him. I swayed on my feet as I let a wave of grief wash over me in despair for my best friend.

My best friend.

My friend.

_My friend!_

I gasped, suddenly feeling weak. What had I done? All these people - they were all my friends!

And I had _killed _them.

They were dead and it was all my fault.

I felt a sob rise up and I didn't struggle to hold it back. I had done something so horrible that no person should ever have been able to do.

And now...

I...

_I am King now._

* * *

_Am I truly king now?_

_Is this land all mine?_

_Is this really truly how?_

_I... Am... King... now..._

* * *

***shivers* This isn't right... I should not have been able to create something so horrible... what a gruesome way to celebrate Mianite Season 2 coming back.**

**(And everyone dead/Dec as king is staying canon. Also, maybe a part 2? Not sure yet, but I have an idea...)**


	2. Ghosts of the Past

**Hey ya'll, it's Ender! I hope you're having a great day and I hope to make it even better with this new one-shot! NOTE: I do ****not**** own Minecraft, Mianite, any YouTubers mentioned, or basically anything else in this story except for the story.**

_Ghosts of the Past  
_

I stared numbly at the glowing lava in front of me, watching the molten rock change from soft yellows to rich reds. I hadn't eaten for over a week and I hadn't slept in two. I knew I was suffering through grief and I couldn't pull myself out of the pit of despair that I had cast myself into.

I hadn't spoken since I killed them, and I knew the Nether mobs were getting concerned. I did nothing all day except for staring into the lava, my shoulders weighed down by guilt and my gaze always downcast.

I couldn't get over the fact that I had_ killed _them. I hadn't gone back to the Overworld yet to survey the damage because I didn't think I could handle it.

I shuddered, feeling an unnatural chill through the heat of the Nether. I knew I would have to face the facts sometime. But I wasn't brave enough to do it now.

_"My lord,"_ a Wither skeleton approached me cautiously and bowed. _"Mianite is here to see you. He has come unarmed and says he wishes to speak with you."_

I felt a sudden coldness take over my heart and I stood, narrowing my eyes. "Tell Lord Mianite I will be there shortly," I ordered the Wither skeleton. "If I know him, he will not remain unarmed for long."

The Wither skeleton bowed again and walked off, his dark bones clattering against each other. I stared after him, then drew my sword, the blade shining in the dull red light. If Mianite came here for a fight, then he would receive one.

My newly gained power had grown tremendously, and I felt as though I knew how to control it. I could take on another god and defeat him, I knew.

I stole one more glance at the fiery lava, then turned and walked off to go meet with Mianite.

* * *

I found the god of the Overworld standing in front of the Nether Portal, his arms crossed and his eyes devoid of emotion. He donned his typical white toga, and his golden crown was sitting perfectly in his neatly trimmed snow-white hair.

"Mianite. Uncle," I greeted. "So good to see you. I hope you are doing well?"

"I am," Mianite's voice was cold and emotionless. "However, the mortals who were once in my care were not quite so lucky. Tell me Declan -"

"That's not my name," I interrupted, not thinking. Mianite fell silent, his mouth still open as he stared at me. Finally, he continued with a small sigh.

"- What were you thinking? What was your reason behind attacking the mortals? Please, explain."

I flinched and momentarily, my strong composure melted away. Mianite's eyes flashed with surprise and I glared at him, daring him to challenge me about my moment of weakness.

"You would know, O Great and Almighty One," I sneered. "Dianite was poisoned and killed - and his blood is on _your_ hands."

Mianite's eyes narrowed and lightning sparked from his beard. "I would not kill my own brother," He snarled, his voice dropping from cold to freezing. "No matter how many times he wages war against me, the most I would do is imprison him. Someone else must have done this."

"Liar!" I hissed, drawing my sword. I had switched it from a normal diamond blade - to lava-infused obsidian. It had been my father's blade and I was prepared to avenge him using it.

Mianite didn't falter at the sight of the god sword. Instead, he merely drew his own, which was made up of crackling lightning, barely contained in sword formation. I immediately knew that if I got hit with that, the electricity would be enough to stop my heart and kill me.

"I did not kill Dianite, _Declan_," Mianite's face was illuminated as strand of lightning flashed from his sword. "You are a fool if you fight me for something I did not do. But I will not hesitate to fight back. I will have no qualms with killing you, if that's what it comes down to. Be warned, though. This would not be the path I want to choose."

"You are a liar, and a traitor to your kin," I whispered, my voice filled with menace. "I killed those mortals to spite you. They were no longer my friends. They meant _nothing_." A bitter taste filled my mouth as I lied and I tried to ignore it. I also tried to ignore the sorrow shooting through my heart.

"Nothing. Really, Declan?" Mianite asked dryly. "You expect me to believe that? After all those times you played parkour maps with Syndicate and Jericho. All those times you helped Ryley and Linden tend to their fortress while they were here. All those times you went on hunts with User and you came back loaded down with things you had caught, laughing and joking with each other. Declan, you are possibly the worst liar I have ever seen."

"_That is not my name_!" I howled. "Never call me that again, do you hear? You don't deserve to be a god! You're a nasty, dirty, rotten little _rat_!"

All of a sudden, Mianite had me pinned against the wall of netherrack, holding me by my throat. I gagged, struggling to get air into my lungs, and I clawed at Mianite's hands in vain.

"You will listen to me, and you will listen well, Declan," Mianite's voice was eerily calm now, like it was just an everyday task to strangle someone. I coughed, my chest burning as Mianite's grip tightened. "I did _not_ kill Dianite. You are falsely accusing me and I will not take that lightly. Now will you concede, and admit that you were wrong? Or will I have to kill you instead? Remember that it does not matter either way for me now. I hold no family loyalty to you."

I wheezed, unable to respond because of the pressure on my throat. Mianite didn't seem to care, twisting my head slightly to make it even harder to breathe. I struggled to draw in breath, my vision swimming and my head feeling as though it were made from clouds. Tears formed in the corners of my eyes and I stopped trying to move, the fire in my lungs becoming more painful by the second.

"What's the matter, Declan?" Mianite sneered and with a jolt of horror, I realized he was _enjoying_ killing me. "Blaze got your tongue?"

My vision flickered and I tried desperately to keep my eyes open. "Stop," I whispered, my voice distorted and barely audible.

"Stop?" Mianite laughed cruelly and a shudder ran through me. Never had I heard the god this insane. "I don't think so. When the mortals pleaded for mercy, what did you give them? A slow and painful death. Don't you think it's fair that you should receive the same treatment?"

My chest was heaving and I was trembling uncontrollably now. I knew it wouldn't be long before I blacked out and from then, it was certain that I would die. Tears streamed down my face and my limbs were spasming weakly.

_"You will let him go,"_ I wanted to cry out with relief when I heard Asandi's voice. _"This is not your kingdom, Lord Mianite. It would be not wise to kill my lord here, in his domain with all the Nether armies ready to attack."_

Mianite hesitated and I silently screamed at him to let me go already; couldn't he see that I was in no position to fight him?

Finally, Mianite released his grip on my neck and I collapsed on the ground, coughing up flecks of blood as I tried to draw oxygen back into my lungs. Asandi drifted over to me as I curled up, not caring as I sobbed from pain in front of Mianite.

"_Will you be alright, my lord?_" Asandi asked, worried. I nodded weakly, my head spinning.

"So what is your answer?" Mianite asked casually, as though he hadn't tried to kill me less than thirty seconds ago. I glared at him, but the threat was lost as I started coughing again.

"I - I was right," I managed to choke out. "In my - my own way."

"And what way would that be?" Mianite snapped. "The way of death, despair, and destruction?"

I shook my head, beginning to feel better again. "The - the only way to keep from sinking back into dep - depression."

Mianite raised his eyebrows and Asandi's smoke thickened defensively. I remembered that Mianite probably didn't know of what had happened almost twelve years ago, with my severe depression and method of 'coping'.

And of course, no one knew that I had summoned my dagger out of the lava, where it had lain in its fiery grave for so long.

I realized that not much had changed about me, even after twelve years. Sure, I looked different, with my flowing robes and hardened features. But inside, I was still that scared young demigod, with the horrible fear that he would never be accepted. I had never fully trusted anyone. I was terrified that if it came down to a life or death situation, where the price was my own life, every single one of my friends would turn on me. And as soon as I was dead, they would go on about their daily business, not even caring that I was gone.

Even now, as king of the Nether, I still feared that I wasn't needed, and that no one would miss me if I was killed. I guess that's why I was having such a difficult time getting over the fact that I had killed my only friends. They were my one chance at being cared about. My one chance at being accepted. And now they were _gone_. Dead.

And I was the murderer.

I realized that Mianite was staring at me expectantly, as though waiting for an answer. I tipped my head to one side questioningly and Mianite sighed, exasperated.

"I _asked_ what you meant by that," Mianite probed, his sharp white stare seeming to bore into my thoughts.

"_Do not press him,_" Asandi hissed. "_If he does not wish to answer, do not make him._"

"No, no, it's alright Asandi," I shushed the blaze quickly, earning a concerned glance from the Nether mob. "He must know sometime anyway."

I turned back to Mianite and took a deep breath before starting my horrific tale. "When I was living with my stepfather, he drove the same lesson into my head every day for several years - 'no one needs you, no one wants you, and no one would care if you died.' One day, he gave me a poisoned dagger and told me to kill myself. I ran away that night and didn't even consider using the dagger until I arrived in this place where the others were living. Then, surrounded by all these new people, my stepfather's words began to haunt me and I kept wondering if it was true. Finally, I couldn't take it anymore and - and I started using the dagger. My depression got rapidly worse over the course of that next week and before I knew it, my arms were laced with the cuts that I had made. I ran away to the Nether and almost killed myself before User found me and saved my life. After that, my depression almost faded to a distant memory - almost. There would be nights where I couldn't sleep because I was terrified that no one cared about me. Sometimes, I struggled not to stab myself with a sword because I thought that if no one really cared then - then there was no reason for me to even be alive."

Mianite was silent, his eyes wide with shock as I finished my story, almost in tears by the end. I hated recalling my past and confessing it to someone else didn't make it any easier. Asandi was glaring at Mianite as though daring him to lash out at me. He knew what happened to me. He was one of the only two creatures that had ever known about my terrible past. User had been the other, but he was dead now.

Along with everyone else.

"I have no real reason to live anymore," I sighed shakily. "They were my only lifeline. The only reason I had to keep breathing. And I never realized just how much I needed them."

"You could have just told me, Declan," Mianite choked out. "About your - your -"

"Don't you understand?" I screamed at him, more out of desperation than anger. "I couldn't! It's so hard for me to talk about it to anyone. And for crying out loud, I was terrified that they would hate me if they knew! I mean, who would actually accept me once they knew?"

"Your friends," Mianite answered immediately. "You could have entrusted every single one of those mortals with your secret and every single one would not have have cared about you one bit less. All of them were loyal to you. As their priest. Their protector. Their _friend._"

"But I killed them!" I screamed, sorrow gripping my heart and making me tremble. "I wasn't thinking and I straight up _murdered_ them!"

"Declan!" Suddenly Mianite was pulling me into a hug. I didn't try to resist and instead fell limp in the stronger god's arms, crying my eyes out.

"I killed them. I killed them. _I killed them_," I sobbed over and over, noting dimly that Asandi had flown off somewhere else. Mianite continued to hug me, staying silent as I cried. He gently sank to the ground, letting me lean on him, my legs sprawled out on the gritty netherrack floor.

"It's okay, Dec. It's okay," Mianite soothed, turning from an enemy to a comforter in the time frame of just a few seconds. I tried to stop sobbing but failed miserably.

"Don't you understand?" I choked out. "Nothing is 'okay'. Nothing will ever be 'okay' again. All my friends are _dead._"

And for once, Mianite couldn't find anything to reassure me with.

* * *

_I wandered through the grey forest, staring at the bleached white grass. They looked like blades of bare bones, all stretched out in an endless flat plain. I recognized this place, even though I had never been there myself._

_It was the land of the dead._

_I trudged through the barren forest, which was strangely vacant of any spirits. I wondered briefly where they had all gone before quickly deciding that I didn't want to know._

_"Declan," A voice whispered through the trees and I whipped around, frantically searching for the origin of the voice. It sounded vaguely familiar, but it was so distorted that it was impossible for me to recognize it._

_"You," Another voice sounded from behind me, this time higher-pitched in tone as though it was a child speaking._

_"Killed," Now I could see who all was speaking - and it terrified me. Fifteen shimmering shapes appeared in a loose circle around me, staring at me with blank, slate-grey eyes._

_They looked half-faded but I could still easily tell who they were. Tucker... Sonja... Felisa... Kitse... Jordan... Aurey... Kilo... Wag... Tom... Matt... Phil... User... Twisted... Linden..._

_And Ryley._

_Oh Notch, there was Ryley._

_"Us," Ryley completed the message, gazing at me with a blank look in his now-dull eyes._

_"Why?" Kilo's voice was young and innocent. I felt sick. If it weren't for me, he would still be alive right now, playing with Tucker and Sonja's daughters and having fun. I had destroyed that possibility though, leaving all them no choice but to wander around in the land of the dead._

_"I - I -" I stuttered for an answer, staring at Wag. The wizard's face looked gaunt and tired - so different than when he had been alive._

_"What did we ever do?" Wag sounded heartbroken, but his eyes remained emotionless._

_"Why was I sent back here?" User whimpered, clearly terrified of being in the land of the dead. "What did I do to deserve this?"_

_My throat felt dry as I looked at each of my friends in turn. Every single one of them was innocent. They were only subjects to my blind rage. They had all suffered from my senseless killing._

_"Why?" Jordan whispered. The others took up saying the word, creating a resounding echo the chilled me to my very bones._

_"Why?"_

_"Why?"_

_"Why?"_

_"Stop! Please!" I begged, covering my ears with my hands. That did nothing to block out my friends' cries and it only got louder._

_"Why?"_

_"Why, Dec?"_

_"I'm sorry!" I shrieked. "I'm so sorry!"_

_"Why?"_

_"Why?"_

_'Why' indeed._

_Why did I kill them? It was a pointless sense of anger that led to my attack._

_I should never have gone to live in the Nether._

_I should never have become king._

_I should have never been allowed to live._

_I should be dead._

* * *

I strolled down the streets of Dagrun, mindlessly staring at the buildings and saying the occasional 'Good morning' or 'Hello' to the residents. I didn't much care for this seaside town, but it was where I lived now. I had fled the island of Mianite long ago, unable to stay in the place where I had -

No. Bad Declan. Don't think about them. That won't make the pain hurt any less.

I had given up my god powers a few months after arriving in Dagrun, draining them to be safely contained in a star-shaped emerald I had found in the ruins of the FyreHQ. It had some Rune letters engraved on the surface, but unfortunately, I couldn't read Rune.

Surprisingly, with the loss of my powers, I had regained my youth from what I had been like twelve years before I became king of the Nether. I now looked like I was twenty-one again instead of thirty-five, like I actually was. I could still fly though, and had created a pair of golden wings to avoid suspicion.

I had accepted the townsfolk's request that I be their priest. I performed rituals to Mianite, secretly asking the god for guidance. So far, he appeared not to have listened to my pleas.

The residents of Dagrun knew little about my past before I came here. I hadn't told them where I had come from or anything, merely stating that my name was Declan, I used to be a priest, and that I was not an enemy.

They had accepted me without much question after that.

Fools, in my opinion.

Then again, in this place that was ruled by the prince and king, my opinion didn't matter.

I sped up my progress when I saw the gates to the dungeon left open. I had heard that four people had fallen from the sky yesterday, smashing through a fishing boat and scaring the fisherman half to death.

There was a loud chattering and four people appeared in the gateway to the dungeon, staring around the city with wide eyes and not even noticing me.

"Stop!" I commanded, wary of who these people might be. They abruptly fell silent and stared at me, and I was able to get a good look at them too.

The tallest was a young man, probably just a little older than myself. He was wearing a floppy red-and-white hat which nearly covered his shaggy black hair. His attire consisted of a blue vest, white T-shirt, fingerless gloves, and pale denim jeans.

The girl next to him had sparkling green eyes, which were half-covered by her wavy caramel brown hair. She had on an orange hoodie, complete with a furry fox tail attached to the fabric.

Next was a strange zombie-like man wearing a spotless black tuxedo. His eyes were pure black, but they were glinting with a friendly light. I sensed a strange air of power around him and made a mental note to keep an eye on him for any sign of a threat.

Lastly, there was another young man in a tuxedo, but it was only halfway buttoned and showed his white v-neck shirt. He wore bright red sunglasses and his shaggy black hair hung into his ocean-blue eyes.

"No, no, no!" I started to panic, recognizing the people who stood before me. There was no way it could be them. _There was no way!_

Apparently, they recognized me too because they started rushing towards me, shouting, "Dec! It's you!" at the top of their lungs.

_Play it cool,_ Mianite's familiar voice whispered inside my head. _Act like you don't know them. Trust me - I have a plan for this._

Taking a deep breath, I decided to trust Mianite's advice. I swiftly backed away from them as they approached me and they stared at me in confusion.

"Who are you people?" I exclaimed, pretending to be shocked. "What are you doing?"

"We - uh -" Jordan seemed to have trouble finding his words. Thankfully, Tom saved him.

"Dec! You have wings!" Tom squealed, running at me with his eyes fixated on my wings. I stepped away from him, ruffling my feathery wings self-consciously.

"Don't touch me!" I snapped, fearful that my act would fall away.

"Priest, we know you man!" Jordan smiled excitedly. I narrowed my eyes suspiciously and leaned forwards, taking in all the details of Jordan's face. Had it really been two years since I had last seen him alive? I guess so.

"You know me?" I asked, letting a note of confusion enter my voice.

"Well, yeah! You're our priest bitch!" Tucker chuckled. I made another mental note to slap Tucker later for saying that about me.

"Wait... what?"_ Oh, Mianite, I really hope you know what you're doing._

"Don't you remember?" Jordan asked, now sounding worried.

"I've never seen you before," _Except for when I killed you, Jordan... and Tucker... and Sonja..._

"What?" Now it was Tom's turn to sound confused. "But - Mianite! C'mon, Dine-at-Nite, the Diamond Hoe, the Coliseum? You don't remember any of that?"

"The Quartz-House?" Sonja prompted. "The Pret-tea?"

Tucker glared at Jordan when Sonja mentioned the Pret-tea and I had to stifle my laughter. I swear, that feud would never be over.

"What is all that?" I tried to block the memories from coming back.

Tom and Jordan exchanged concerned looks and Sonja grabbed Tucker's hand tightly as she stared at me. I swallowed down the tears that were threatening to spill over and I breathed a shaky sigh of relief when my old friends' attention turned elsewhere.

I didn't know how I was going to be able to manage. Jordan, Tucker and Sonja were alive and so was Tom, who had been killed years before the others.

They were alive.

I had a second chance.

* * *

I sat on a chair in front of my crackling fire. It was the first night since my friends' return and I was having hard time managing that they were back, yet I couldn't tell them.

The neat, shallow cuts across my arms proved it.

It wasn't a way of despair now. It was a way of relief, letting all my feelings just pour out.

There was nothing left of my old life if I couldn't even interact with my old friends without letting on that I knew them from the island of Mianite. This was a way to remember.

User was still dead. Twisted, Ryley, and Linden were still dead. I had heard that the king was allowing three other wizards to stay to the south and I had a sneaking suspicion of who they were. I already knew that Wag had made a home on the mountains surrounding the town, but I hadn't yet met with him for fear that he would recognize me as a murderer.

"Mianite," I asked the fire. "Why are you doing this? What is your purpose now?"

The fire didn't reply, but the god who had just materialized behind me sure did.

"It is to give you a second chance," Mianite murmured. I didn't turn to look at him, but instead stared straight ahead into the fire, trying to ignore the stinging pain from the cuts.

"Declan, why have you done this?" I heard a faint scraping noise and I knew that Mianite had just picked the bloody dagger off of the table it was lying on.

"It's a way to remember," I was surprised that my voice didn't shake. I was scared of what Mianite would think of me now.

"You know what a better way to remember is?" Mianite asked, walking around the chair so he could look at me. I tore my gaze away from the dancing fire and stared up at the god, mildly curious.

"Go out there," Mianite knelt down and gently picked up both my hands in his own. "And live like how you were supposed to. With friends." A shimmering wave of white magic enveloped my arms, and when it vaporized, my cuts were gone.

"How can I when I'm supposed to act like I don't even know them?" I glanced at Mianite, confused.

Mianite stood up, brushing off his white toga. "It's up to you, Declan. I gave you a second chance. Use it wisely."

And with that, Mianite vanished into thin air, teleporting away. I breathed in deeply and felt a little bit more at peace already.

"_Remember, Declan. No matter what happens, I will always believe in you._"

* * *

**Aw, now that was sweet, wasn't it guys? Anyway, I hope ya'll enjoyed. At the time I finish writing this AN it will be... *checks time* 3:41 AM. So goodnight ya'll! Oh, and 7,777 words this story... well, 7 _is_ my lucky number! XD**


	3. You Know My Name

**Hey y'all, it's Ender! I hope you're having a great day and I hope to make it even better with this new one-shot! (Sorry, but I just can't stop writing for this!) NOTE: I do ****not**** own Minecraft, Mianite, any YouTubers mentioned, and really, I don't own anything except this story.**

_You Know My Name_

I knew I couldn't keep avoiding him for much longer - I would have to talk with Wag at some point or another.

The only problem was, I didn't know if he would remember me. If he did, then he would surely tell the others and I would have to leave. I didn't want to abandon this world though, and I would hate to lose my friends.

After all, Mianite gave me a second chance and I had to make the most out of it.

I had heard from the king that Wag wanted to speak with me so I had purposely been staying locked in my house, pacing the floor anxiously. So much was on my mind these days - the island of Mianite, the power Dianite had bestowed upon me in his final moments, and Ryley.

Mostly Ryley.

I missed him - missed him so much. More than User or Twisted or Linden or anyone else who hadn't come back. Every day, it was like a nagging ache in my heart. I couldn't forget him. His smile, his dry sarcasm, his loyalty.

But most of all, I couldn't forget how I had _killed_ him.

He was my best friend and had been for so long. Ever since the day I had found him, we had always been there for each other. He was always supportive of me, even when I was going through the darkest time in my life. In return, I had promised to always be loyal to him as well. Back then, I had never dreamed that I would become king of the Nether and that my father would be killed. The worst part was, I had no idea if he could even be resurrected into this world.

"Declan?" I heard a familiar voice outside my door and felt my blood run cold. There was no mistaking that deep, accented voice. I should have known - should have known he would come searching for me if I didn't show up. "Dec, are you in there?"

I tried to remain as still and as silent as possible, hoping Wag would go away. No such luck. He tried to open my door and when he found it firmly locked, he began to pound forcefully on the spruce planks. I ran to my bedroom and slammed the door, locking that too. I - I couldn't face it. If Wag really did remember, then he would accuse me of being a murderer and a coward. I couldn't deal with that.

My eyes traveled over to my bedside table. My dagger was safely tucked inside the top drawer, hidden under a layer of blue silk cloth. I couldn't bear to part with it - it seemed wrong to cast it away; the last bit of my past that ever meant something to me.

"Dec! Open the door! I just want to talk to you!" I heard Wag beg and I swallowed. I couldn't let him in. I couldn't, I couldn't, I couldn't, I _couldn't_.

"If you don't open the door right now, I'm going to break it down," Wag threatened, and I trembled. I didn't want to be found out, but if the wizard broke my door down, then the whole town would come rushing to my house to see what was going on. I would be trapped and alone against an army of hostile people.

"Alright, alright, I'm coming!" I cried out desperately, hurriedly unlocking and opening my bedroom door. I rushed to open the front door, but tripped over something, and fell to the floor with a muffled grunt. I looked to see what I had tripped over and found it to be the gleaming, star-shaped emerald that I had stored my god powers in when I first came to Dagrun. I quickly pocketed the emerald and clambered to me feet, throwing open the front door with an urgency fueled by fear.

Wag stared at me in shock and I had to choke back a sob. He looked like he had fourteen years ago, when I was still living in the Overworld. His shaggy black hair was hanging in his silvery eyes and he brushed it away, revealing the pale scars that crisscrossed his cheeks. As usual, he was a foot taller than I was and his purple-grey robes hadn't changed a bit.

"May - may I come in?" Wag asked hesitantly. I quickly nodded and stepped aside so he could walk inside. He walked into my house and glanced around, taking in all the little details about my residence. To be honest, it wasn't much; just a simple townhouse that I had purchased shortly after arriving in Dagrun. It was nothing compared to my old house, or even Dianite's temple. I felt a familiar homesickness and I tried my best to ignore it.

"I see you've been doing well, Dec," Wag said casually. "How's life been going for you with the town? Those newcomers certainly seem to be causing some excitement with the townsfolk."

"Yes, yes," I agreed, half-thinking about the land of Mianite. Were all the buildings still there? I hadn't stepped foot in the land of Mianite for two years now and was fairly sure that most everything was in bad disrepair.

"Dec? Hello? Earth to Declan?" I snapped out of my momentary zoning out when Wag waved his hand in front of my face. I blinked and stared at the wizard, just now noticing how something seemed... different. For one thing, I couldn't see his wand sticking out of a half-hidden pocket in his robes like usual. For another, his eyes weren't glowing. Usually, they let off a faint light that intensified when he was angry or frightened. But now, they were just plain silver, not glowing at all.

"Sorry," I apologized, glancing down. "I was just - thinking about something."

"Yeah," Wag muttered. "I've been 'thinking' about some things too. And I think you have some explaining to do, Declan."

I tried to back away from Wag, fear now filling my heart. Unfortunately, there was a wall behind me and I couldn't back up very far before I was trapped. Wag stalked forwards and I started to breathe more quickly, panic causing my heart to pound rapidly inside my chest. Wag halted, confused by my sudden fear.

"P - please," I stuttered, frightened. "D - don't hurt m - me."

"Dec?" Wag tried to grab my shoulder, but I flinched away, trembling. What if he tried to kill me? What if he decided that the world was better off without me? I was helpless without my god powers and I had taken off my fake golden wings, not planning on flying any time soon.

"Look, I'm sorry!" I whimpered. "I - I didn't mean any of it! Just don't k - kill me!" Oh gods, I was starting to feel lightheaded. That couldn't be a good sign.

"Dec, calm down!" Wag spoke gently, but I was too far into the depths of panic. I - I couldn't think straight anymore. I was too scared about what would happen next, the unknown terrifying me.

I heard Wag cry out in shock and reach to grab me as I collapsed onto the floor, fainting from the panic that had finally overtaken me.

* * *

I woke up lying on my couch with a soft woolen blanket draped over me. I blinked slowly, wondering how I had gotten here. Then I turned my head and saw Wag sitting on the armchair next to the couch, drinking a cup of tea that he must have made while I was unconscious.

"Hello," Wag greeted, setting his tea down on the small table between the armchair and the couch. I tried to get to my feet, but a sudden wave of dizziness quickly made me sit back down. Wag smiled faintly, but it was overshadowed by the concern in his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Dec. I didn't mean to frighten you," Wag sounded genuinely sorry and I felt my heart lift just slightly. "I just wanted to talk about what happened - before we came here. I remember everything that happened, Dec. I'm the only one that does. The others don't remember anything since before you left. But I think it's time for an explanation - if you don't mind."

"I - I -" Oh gods, what could I say? The only reason I had to attack them was because I was angry that my father was killed. They had done nothing wrong, and I only wanted to kill them for a pointless vengeance.

"I was ang - angry that Dianite was killed," I murmured, avoiding Wag's piercing gaze. "Before he d - died, he passed his power onto me. I was blinded by rage over his death, and I thought Mianite had killed him. However, I wasn't strong enough to fight Mianite, so - so I wanted to destroy what he loved most. I - I wasn't thinking straight, Wag. I can't tell you how many nights I lay awake after that, regretting all my actions and wondering if I shouldn't kill myself right then and there. I'm sorry... just please, don't tell the others. I'm afraid of what they might think."

Wag didn't respond at first, and for a fleeting moment, I wondered if he was debating whether or not to kill me. Then, he sighed shakily and pulled a small pouch out of the pocket in his robes where he used to keep his wand.

"When I came back to life," Wag whispered, "I woke up in the land of Mianite. I was surrounded by the ruins of the FyreHQ, and I knew that I was alone. I had a feeling that I needed to be in another land, so I tried to teleport over to it, not having a clue where I was going. S - something went wrong during the spell and I - I lost my wizard powers. This is all that's left of my w - wand." Wag took a deep breath and reached into the leather pouch, holding up a handful of fine ash. I gasped as I realized that that had once been Wag's wand - but it was incinerated now, reduced to nothing but mere dust when it had once channeled the former wizard's power into magical spells.

"Oh gods," I breathed out slowly, watching as Wag poured the ashes from his wand back into the pouch. He took another shuddering breath and I realized with a start that Wag was _crying_. Tears glistened in his eyes and he tried to wipe them away with one hand.

I knew that being a wizard had meant everything to Wag. It was his life, his passion. He had always enjoyed creating spells, and I had heard that learning how to control his power over storms had been one of his favourite pastimes.

And now, all that had been torn away from him and reduced to dust.

"Oh Notch... I'm so sorry, Wag," I stared at him, a new sorrow dawning in my heart. Something else that never would have happened if I hadn't gone insane. If it weren't for me, Wag would still be a wizard - would still be happy.

"It - it's alright," Wag put the pouch away again. "A - at least I'm alive now."

"About that," I began, "How did you get out of the land of the dead?"

Wag shrugged. "I'm honestly not sure. We stuck together - everyone who was killed - fighting off the lost souls. We began to get overwhelmed though; first Kitse, then Kilo, then Aurey, all in a day. Shortly after, Linden and Felisa were also killed. User and Twisted were next, and they went out fighting together. Matt, Phil, and Tom were taken one night while Phil was on watch and the rest of us were asleep. Then, a lost soul snuck up behind me and... I don't remember much after that. I have vague memories of being stuck in this weird grey-lilac dimension, but I don't remember much else about that place. It may have been the dimension between life and death, but I honestly don't know."

It took me a couple minutes to fully absorb that information. I had no clue how to react to this news, but all I knew was that Ryley could still be alive somewhere.

"Well, Dec," Wag broke the silence, even though he was speaking softly, still caught up in his own memories. "It looks like we're on our own now. Unless you plan on telling everyone about our - past."

"Wasn't in my agenda," I shrugged. I stood up a bit too quickly and the emerald that I had tripped over earlier fell to the ground with a loud clatter. I jumped slightly and bent down to pick it up, but as I did so, I heard Wag stifle a shocked scream. I jerked upright and stared at the former wizard, whose hands were covering his mouth and his eyes were trained on the emerald.

"Where - did you find that?" Wag choked out, pointing at the emerald with a trembling hand.

"Um... in the FyreHQ?" I responded, confused as to why Wag would have such a startled reaction to a gem. Wag leaned down and gingerly picked up the emerald, staring at it in horror.

"I thought this -" Wag cut himself off in the middle of his sentence as he turned the emerald over in his hands, seemingly looking for something. I felt a slight twinge of fear, knowing that Wag was holding the object that I had chosen for my powers to be contained in, but I shoved it aside. Wag was smart enough not to do anything irrational.

"Dec, can you read Rune?" Wag asked me. I shook my head - then remembered that the emerald had a small message engraved in Rune on one side. But how did Wag know about that?

"This - this message right here - it means 'faith' in the olden tongue," Wag tapped the miniature Rune markings with his index finger. "But today, you would say it as 'waglington'. This is where I got the name that I've called myself for centuries. The goddess Khione gave it to me as a gift when all the Fyre wizards first accepted their powers. I - I thought it had been lost forever when the HQ burned down."

I felt as though I had forgotten how to breathe. That emerald, that I had stored my god powers in, was Wag's and had been for centuries. Surely he would want it back and I would have no choice but to give it to him. But if something went wrong... if some other element reacted badly with the powers inside that emerald...

"Do you mind if I keep it?" Wag asked cautiously. "I - I feel like I need a way to remember."

He sounded so lost and sad, that I couldn't bear to refuse. "Go ahead," I shrugged. "It was yours to begin with. There's no reason why you shouldn't keep it."

Suddenly, there was a loud commotion outside of my house, startling me. I opened the door cautiously and poked my head outside, looking around. The townsfolk were crowded around the docks, chattering excitedly. I glanced back inside at Wag, who was staring at me in confusion.

"What's going on out there?" He asked curiously.

"Not sure," I responded. "Let's go check it out."

Wag and I walked down to the docks and wormed our way through the crowd, muttering apologies as we accidentally stepped on some of the townsfolk's feet. They grumbled in protest, but didn't stop us.

I reached the front of the crowd and gasped when I saw what they were all gawking at.

A young man was stretched out on the dock, lying on his stomach with water dripping from his clothes. He wore a scarlet hood and his shirt was ragged, almost torn. I could only see a bit of his face - it was mostly covered by a bandana - and even though he looked half-drowned, he was breathing steadily.

It was Ryley.

Oh Notch, it was Ryley.

And he was _alive_.

"Ryley," I breathed. Suddenly, I didn't care that I was surrounded by the townsfolk. I didn't care that Wag was frozen in place, staring at Ryley in shock.

All I cared about was the fact that Ryley was alive and here.

Ryley stirred and blinked open his chocolaty brown eyes. He took one glance around and instantly sprang to his feet, staring around with fear in his eyes.

"Wha - what?" Ryley stuttered. "Where am I? Who are you people?"

"Ryley!" I darted forwards, excitement ruling out reason in my mind. I halted suddenly though, because as soon as I drew close to Ryley, he took a step back.

"Who is 'Ryley'?" Ryley questioned. "My name is Champwan."

I felt my blood run cold. If Ryley still thought of himself as 'Champwan' then...

"Do - do you remember me?" I asked, fearful of the answer. But I had to know. I had to know if Ryley - no, _Champwan_, I reminded myself - still recognized me.

Champwan didn't hesitate in his reply.

"I've never seen you before in my life."

* * *

I ran through the marshy swamp, my feet sinking into the soft mud at every step and my sobs echoing in the mosquito-filled air.

Champwan didn't remember me. He didn't know me. I - I had nothing, now.

I dove into the brackish swamp water, swimming far below the surface with strong strokes. I didn't bother holding my breath - Champwan's lack of recognition had... destroyed me.

Nothing.

I finally reached the bottom and settled on the silty ground, pressing my cheek against the soft bottom of the swamp. I watched the tiny bubbles appear from my half-opened mouth; watched them float quickly up to the surface.

Nothing.

I felt water fill my lungs and felt my chest begin to ache - but I didn't care. I watched the small minnows dart around me and try to nibble my fingers. I didn't try to shoo them away. I just watched them through dull eyes, which were slowly, slowly beginning to close.

Nothing.

That's all I felt. I was broken, shattered, crushed; any way you put it, I felt nothing anymore.

My eyes slipped closed.

My breaths slowed.

My heartbeats faded.

Nothing.

* * *

I coughed, nasty swamp water bubbling up past my lips. I rolled over and started to vomit up all the water that I had swallowed, the taste foul in my mouth.

I opened my eyes, and after a few seconds of letting them adjust to the bright light, I was able to take in my surroundings.

I was lying next to the shoreline of the swamp biome and there were scuff marks in the mud where I had clearly been dragged ashore. I felt disappointment and sorrow weigh down my heart and tears welled up in my eyes again.

Why could I never just _die_? Every time I tried to kill myself, someone always had to intervene. A sob rose in my throat and I didn't struggle to hold it back.

I had nothing left to live for. No hope, no memories, no friends. I had wanted so badly just to drown, alone, in peace. I tried desperately to crawl back to the water, but strong arms suddenly wrapped around me and I was lifted up into the air and set on my feet.

The person holding me gently turned me around to face them and I was able to see that it was Wag, his silver eyes filled with fear and his hands shaking as he restrained me from going back into the water.

"What were you doing, Dec?" Wag cried out, hugging me close to him. I practically melted into his embrace, crying hysterically.

"He doesn't remember me, _he doesn't remember me!_" I choked out, burying my face in Wag's robes. "I have nothing now, Wag, don't you understand? I had no other choice!"

"You always have a choice, Declan," Wag murmured, voice heavy with despair. "Please. I'm here for you."

"That's what Champwan said," I sobbed. "And look what happened to him! None of this would have happened if it weren't for me, Wag. I can't take this. I _can't_."

"You can. I know you're stronger than this, Dec. I know you can get past this. You just have to have faith in yourself," Wag whispered gently.

"No!" I screamed. "I'm done! I'm done with all this suffering and pain! I hate this life! I _want _to die! Can't you see that? I. Want. To. _Die!"_

Wag seemed surprised by my sudden outburst and I used that opportunity to scramble away from him and run off, my legs still shaky and my clothes still dripping wet. Wag shouted, shocked, and started to chase after me.

I ran faster, making horrible sobbing noises with every step. I had to run away - away to where? I didn't know. I just knew that I had to go somewhere.

Maybe to the only physical memory of the past that I had left.

I somehow managed to evade Wag all the way back to my house, and had even managed to lose him through a stretch of tall underbrush. I barreled through the town, not caring as the townsfolk stared at me in surprise. I burst into my house and slumped against the closed door, choking out more pained sobs.

I just wanted to die. Why wouldn't they let me die? I slowly staggered over to my bedroom, and opened the top drawer, tearing away the silk sheets to reveal my diamond bladed dagger, gleaming hungrily as though wanting me to give it my blood.

I would be happy to please it.

I grabbed the dagger and shakily positioned it over my chest. No one would be able to save me after this. I would be able to drive the dagger deep into my flesh, and let the world fade away...

I closed my eyes, ready to finally end the misery that was my life.

I could hear my heartbeat. It sounded frantic. I didn't understand why. This was going to be a relieving process. It would only hurt for a bit.

And just like that, I drove my dagger deep into my chest.

* * *

_There was black. Then there was white. Then there was a strange lilac-grey._

_I was caught in a silver whirlwind. It spun me around and around and I felt horribly battered and bruised. Suddenly, I was dropped to the ground - but the ground disappeared and I was sinking down, down, down into the depths of icy water. Then the water changed to fire and I wailed in agony, flames licking around my helpless body._

_Then, there was wind tugging at my hair. Large, pointed rocks rose up to meet me and I landed directly on them. Pain exploded in my body for a second, before I was suddenly jerked up into the air, an invisible pressure squeezing my throat._

_And finally, I felt a cold, familiar sensation appear in my hand. Without consciously moving, I lifted the dagger to my chest and..._

I blinked, letting the world adjust around me. Was I dead? Nope - there was colour. That obviously meant that I was alive.

How? How was I alive? I remembered the dagger and how I had driven it deep into my heart. It had hurt like hellfire...

At least until the pain faded away.

But where was I now? I studied the stone brick walls, recognizing the smooth cylindrical shape.

I was in... Wag's tower? How had I gotten here? _Why_ was I here, and not dead?

"Y'know, I really wish you'd stop trying to kill yourself," A familiar voice grunted. I paled, thinking that there was no way in all the Nether that it was actually him...

"Dianite?" I whispered, looking around. There he was, standing by the side of my bed, a black cloak draped over his shoulders and his ivory ram's horns curling up into the air. His white eyes were narrowed but an amused smirk played on his face.

"Surprise, surprise," Dianite snickered. "Don't you know that gods can always regenerate their form as long as their power exists freely? I thought it would be best if I gave my kingdom to you, but we can both see how well _that_ worked out." Dianite gestured to my chest and I glanced down, avoiding his marbled gaze. "Anyway, once you had my powers trapped in that emerald, I was able to respawn right here, just as your former-wizard friend raced past, screaming something about you killing yourself. All it took was a quick teleport over to you, a regeneration ten spell - that took a lot out of me, I'll admit - and I carried you back over here so you could recover under the watchful eye of someone who cares about you as a friend."

Wag climbed up the ladder at that very moment, nodding a friendly greeting to Dianite. "Good news," Wag cheerfully told me. "I've found a way to re-learn my magic, and once I do that, then I'll be able to perform a memory spell on Champwan so he'll remember you and everyone else!"

"That's great!" I felt my heart lift despite myself. Maybe there would be a happy ending after all. "Is there any bad news that I need to know about?"

"Actually, yeah," Dianite shrugged nonchalantly. "Some prophecy that apparently needs to be fulfilled. You want to hear it?"

I swallowed fearfully, but nodded nonetheless.

"_Strangers come, and strangers go,_

_Lead them back so they will know,_

_Fix the wrong and do the right,_

_Make your stand in the final fight._"

**Okay, so I can't stop writing these little one-shots. Sue me. It's like a mini-story and besides, I really like writing about Dec - so much, that I'll stay up until five in the morning finishing this chapter and AN! And yeah, the title of this chapter is the name of a song by Mineworks Animations - go listen to it. I command you! DO YOU HEAR ME?! I COMMAND YOU! GO LISTEN TO IT, MY ENDERMINIONS! MUAHAHAHAHA!**

**Anyways, that aside, what did you think of this little installment? Dianite is back, and he delivers a prophecy that seems... pretty ominous if you ask me. Anyway, it's 5:10 AM for me right now so goodnight y'all!**


	4. Infecta

**Hey y'all, it's Ender! I hope you're having a great day and I hope to make it even better with this new one-shot! NOTE: I do ****not**** own Minecraft, Mianite, any YouTubers mentioned, and really, I don't own anything except this story.**

**(I would definitely recommend listening to _Infecta_ \- an original song by Mineworks Animations - whilst reading this chapter. It really helps set the mood!)**

_Infecta_

I took a deep breath, studying the careful illustrations in my spell book. It would be a long and complicated path to get my wizard powers back. But I had to try. I had to try to get my powers back for Dec's sake, if nothing else.

The flickering candle next to me illuminated the ancient pages with a soft golden glow, casting a gentle light on my face as I carefully turned over page after page, reading each section thoroughly.

It was very late at night right now - or it could be very early in the morning, depending on how you looked at it. I had almost become nocturnal at this point, preferring to study my books on powers when my little home was silent and everyone else was asleep.

My little ginger tabby cat, who I had found a few days ago, lost and alone at the foot of my mountain, was curled up at my feet, fast asleep. I could faintly hear Dec snoring from upstairs, probably deep in some dream. It looked I would be left in peace for the most part, hunched over an ancient book in the candlelight.

And I was happy with that.

I had never been all too 'sociable', so being left alone was always sort of a pleasure. And now, as I stared at the long, slanting Runes that were scrawled across the page, it felt almost as though the silence was wrapping me up in a thick, warm blanket, blocking out all sounds.

I was lost in my own world as my eyes traveled over the pages of the book, reading about powerful inscriptions to bring back magical energy, as well as ways to bind the magical energy to the desired recipient. Finally, I came to a page with instructions and recipes for creating power sources. I frowned, concerned by all the resources it would take.

It would require practically all the vinteum dust I had been gathering, as well as ten of each elemental shard. Then came weirder things - a couple dozen feathers, witchwood planks, and a Nether star. The last ingredient would be expensive, as well as dangerous to get. I wasn't the best at fighting and there was a very good chance I could be withered. Without my normal immunity to mob attacks, the wither infection would spread rapidly and I would most likely die before I could even get help.

I shook away those thoughts. I would fight the Wither when it came down to just the Nether star. Those other ingredients wouldn't be too challenging to obtain - granted, witchwood was rare. I was pretty sure I only had a few left in my chests downstairs. It may take some time to gather all sixty-four planks that I needed.

I continued to read until the small clock in another room chimed six, the grey dawn light just beginning to creep over to my chair. My cat, whom I had decided to call 'Quexa', yawned and stretched out, plucking at the floor with her small white feet. I leaned down and rubbed her, smiling gently. Quexa purred as I scratched her cheek and she brushed up against my legs, leaving behind little ginger cat hairs. I snorted, knowing by now that it would pointless to try to brush the cat hair away - Quexa was a cuddler, and she shed like crazy.

"You're a little mess," I told Quexa as she looked up at me, green eyes wide. She meowed in what seemed to be agreement, then hopped up into my lap. I smiled and rubbed her, leaning over to close the book. Quexa curled up in my lap, still purring as she kneaded the soft fabric of my robes.

I had never imagined that I would be such a cat person. But I had to admit - Quexa had definitely won me over with her sweet charm and loving personality. She was quiet for the most part and her purr was quite calming, if I dared say so myself. She provided a sense of close companionship that I hadn't felt in years - not since before my friend Tom was killed.

I knew Tom had been brought back to life and that he was living to the south with Matt and Phil. However, when I had tried to find him again after shortly arriving in this land, I had instead come upon Matt, who warned me to stay away. He had said that they needed to stay hidden - something had gone wrong and they didn't want the king to know. When I tried to ask if Tom was okay, Matt just shook his head and said "He's having a tough time coping without his powers." I had no idea what Matt had meant by that - why didn't Tom have his powers? Come to think of it, Matt hadn't looked right either - his eyes weren't glowing and he was holding a sword instead of his wand.

Was that what had went wrong? Had they lost their powers too and were trying to keep it secret? I didn't know and probably never would.

"Wag?" I jumped a little bit, then turned my head to see Dec in the doorway, staring at me with bleary, sleep-filled eyes. "Did you stay up _all _night?"

"Yeah," I muttered guiltily, scratching Quexa's ears. Quexa let out a short purr before falling back asleep, flicking her white-tipped tail. "I was reading again. I need to find a way to get my powers back quickly, especially with that new prophecy hanging over our heads."

"Guess what else you -" Dec cut himself off with a wide yawn. "- need. You need sleep, Wag. This staying up all night and taking five hour naps in the day can't be good for you."

"I know," I shrugged. "But there's a lot of stuff that I need to do. This is a long process, and failure isn't an option. There isn't any other way."

"Then let me help you," Dec pleaded. "You're going to kill yourself if you try to do all this on your own. Tell me what you need. I can gather supplies for you while you rest."

"Thanks," I smiled gratefully. "Okay, if you want something to do, I need sixty-four witchwood planks. It's the tree that has silvery leaves - there should be some beyond the outreaches of the Taint. It'll be a day's journey by foot, but you can borrow my jetpack and hang glider if you want. Oh, and if you see any chickens, I need two dozen feathers as well. I'll get the materials I have now out of my chests so you can see just how much to gather." I yawned after I had finished talking, covering my mouth with my hand. With reading all night and preparing things for the spell during the day, I was beyond exhausted.

I picked up Quexa and set her down on the floor, earning an annoyed meow from my cat. I muttered an apology and stood up, trembling a bit as I made my way over to Dec, who was still standing in the doorway. He gave me a worried glance, but I didn't look at him. I didn't want to be fussed over. I would be fine.

I walked into my chest room, just to the left of my study. It was very crowded in the little room and I had to squeeze around my crafting table to get to the chest where I knew I had some planks of witchwood. When I opened it however, I found that there were only a few purple splinters amongst the oak and that horrid eucalyptus. I frowned, then remembered I must have used it all when I repaired my altar - which had unfortunately had to deal with a slightly explosive, backfired spell.

The good news was that I already had eighteen feathers. Dec would only have to gather half a dozen more. I passed on the news about my supplies to Dec, who nodded, understanding. I gave him my jetpack and hang glider, told him to use the fuel in the jetpack sparingly - it would only last for so long before it needed to be recharged - and told him to be back as soon as possible - there was supposed to be a blood moon later tonight, and of course, that would pose a very dangerous threat.

After Dec left, I was alone in my house, save for Quexa, who I could see sprawled out in a patch of morning sunlight in my study. I smiled and went back into my study. It was time to memorize the spell.

* * *

"Wag? Hey Wag, wake up," I blinked open my eyes and looked up at Dec, who was staring down at me with amusement sparking in his dark brown eyes. I realized that I had fallen asleep while reading and my cheek had been pressed against the page of my book. I mentally groaned. I was probably going to have ink imprints on the side of my face now.

"Wha' time is it?" I murmured, lifting my head. Dec snickered and gestured for me to turn my head slightly to the right. I gave him a confused look, but complied to his odd request.

Dec studied something on my cheek, then said aloud, "The process of binding new magic to a former possessor of magical energy is a long and difficult process. It must be carried out with the utmost precision and care."

I blushed as I realized that the ink _had_ left imprints on my face and Dec was reading from it. I pulled my hood up over my head to disguise the ink tattoos, looking down so Dec couldn't see any part of my face at all.

"My Notch," I muttered. "You can read me like a book, Dec." Dec laughed and I felt a smile playing on my face as well. But dammit, being tired was just the worst!

"Alright, I got what you needed me to get," Dec recovered quickly from his fit of laughter, although a grin still shone in his eyes. "The witchwood and the rest of the feathers are in a separate chest upstairs. Oh, and I also found some more vinteum dust when I chased a chicken down into a cave. I didn't know if you needed more but I mined it out too."

"Thanks," I smiled gratefully. "I probably will end up needing extra, because knowing me when I'm tired, I'll probably screw something up."

"Nah, you'll do fine," Dec picked up Quexa, who was winding around his feet. My cat purred and licked his nose, much to Dec's surprise and my amusement. Quexa then wriggled out of the priest's grip, and jumped into my lap, still purring.

"Glad to know someone thinks so," I murmured. "I think I will actually try to get some sleep tonight. I can try to get the last ingredient for the spell tomorrow, I guess. I'm pretty sure I have all the elemental shards that I need. But all I can say is that I'm not looking forwards to getting the last material."

"What is it going to be?" Dec asked curiously.

"A Nether star," I responded. "I can summon the Wither boss, sure, but fighting it is going to be the problem."

Dec's eyes widened with fear and he suddenly put his hands on my shoulders. I jerked my head up to face him, surprised at the sudden contact.

"No," Dec sounded urgent. "You - you can't. Anything involving the Nether is too dangerous. I don't know how you got enough supplies to summon a Wither without getting killed as soon as you stepped foot in the Nether, but you can't go back there or do anything with it. The - the Nether mobs might be able to sense my presence and become more vicious. It's too dangerous for you to fight them."

"I have to!" I protested, picking up Quexa in my arms and standing up. "Don't you understand? It's the only way!"

Dec glanced down at his feet, clearly realizing that I was not going to be persuaded. "Then I'm sorry," He whispered forlornly, filling me with dread at the prospect of the fight to come.

* * *

I took a deep breath, readying my mithril sword. Even though Dec had warned me against fighting the Wither, I was still going to fight it. I had to.

Dec himself had left with the others early this morning to go back to the land of Mianite to hopefully complete Dianite's prophecy. I had helped Dec explain their story to the mortals and had even managed to relay a message to the other wizards, who seemed to have their powers back once again. Now it was only I who remained in this world, as well as the residents of Dagrun, who were beginning to wonder about the disappearances of the strange new people.

I had wanted to be alone when I performed this spell. Dec had been indignant but I had convinced him that it was what I wanted to do, and I could be very stubborn if I wanted to. Finally, he had conceded after I promised that I would come back to the land of Mianite as soon as I regained my powers.

I shook my thoughts aside and got ready to place the third and final wither skull on the soul sand totem. This would be a long, hard fight but I hoped the end result would be worth it.

I swallowed once more, and placed the skull down, the Wither appearing half a second later with a loud, explosive bang.

I barely had time to swing my sword at it for a first hit before it was shooting wither skulls at me, which I dodged with a frantic agility. I started up the deadly dance of a battle - jumping and rolling around wither skulls while still getting in hits of my own.

The fight seemed easier than I had originally thought, at first. The Wither was taking a lot of abuse from my sword and wasn't shooting skulls quite as fast anymore. I could just barely see the Nether star shining in its ribcage and courage filled me at the prospect of soon being able to get the rare Wither heart to complete the spell.

Then, I got hit in the chest with a wither skull.

I screamed in pain as the skull exploded in front of me, showering me with dark wither magic. I collapsed onto my hands and knees, coughing as the cold poison quickly entered my bloodstream. It flowed like shards of ice through my body and I was almost instantly overwhelmed by the freezing sensation.

The wither hissed in triumph and got ready to shoot one final wither skull to finish me off, but I staggered to my feet and drove my sword through its center head, killing it first. The wither fell to the ground, dead, but I wasn't in a much better state. I was shaking violently already and was barely able to pry out the glowing Nether star, hidden deep in the Wither's twisted ribcage. I held onto the star like it was my lifeline, which it practically was. I had already pieced together the rest of the spell in my altar, and I just had to get the Nether star home...

...which would be a long and difficult journey, seeing as I was deep underground in my boss-fighting cave.

I leaned heavily on the wall as I made my way over to the crude staircase that led out of the underground cavern. The wither poison was slowly paralyzing my movements, and after I was just halfway up the stairs, I had to crawl, unable to walk anymore.

The chill creeping through my bones was horrible - I felt as though I could never be warm again. The poison was also affecting my lungs, wrapping them in dark, icy chains. It was getting increasingly hard to breathe and I was dragging in every breath with a rough clatter and releasing it in a weak cough.

Oh Notch, this _hurt_.

I dragged myself out of the tunnels and into the open, getting pelted with driving rain as I did so. The water cut through my robes, but as soon as it hit my back, I felt it turn to ice on my skin. It felt like narrow icicles were piercing through my lungs at this point and I was choking out pained little sobs, tears streaming down my face.

I still had the faintly glowing Nether star in my hand and I pulled myself up to the spell altar, but a sudden wave of cold agony washed over me and I cried out, sliding back down the slick, steep steps.

I... I couldn't move anymore. My arms were weak - too weak to even drag myself around.

I had one last hope.

I shakily raised my hand and summoned up all the strength I had left. If - if I could toss the Nether star onto the altar, then maybe the magic would be able to affect me and reverse the poison before...

Before it reached my heart and killed me.

I desperately hurled the Nether star over at the altar, but as I did so, my limbs locked up and my throw fell short. The Nether star landed just a few centimeters away from the center of the altar and I choked out a heartbroken sob.

It was all over for me now. I would die of Wither poison, without ever regaining my powers again. Without ever seeing the prophecy fulfilled.

Without ever saying goodbye to my friends.

* * *

I don't know how long I lay there, my heart beating weakly as it tried to stop the Wither poison from entering it. The rain kept pouring down and I trembled violently, colder than I had ever felt before.

I heard soft footfalls near me and I managed to shakily lift my head to stare at the person who had just walked up.

It was King Helgrind. His eyes were dark as he stared at me, his expression devoid of any emotion. His dark red robes were the colour of dried blood in the dim light, and his enchanted diamond sword shone weakly through the pounding rain. He walked up to the altar and halted next to the Nether star, staring down at the pure object.

"You've lost, Waglington," King Helgrind's voice was deathly cold as he spoke to me. "You know, it would be so easy for me to just nudge the Nether star over to where it needs to be. But I won't do that."

I wanted to scream at him; to yell at him to help me. But I could barely breathe anymore - let alone talk.

"You're a threat to me," King Helgrind smiled cruelly and for the first time, I realized that he was the _true _enemy. He was who Dec had to fight, according to the prophecy.

"Goodbye, Waglington," King Helgrind stalked down the stairs, his robes brushing past my hand, which was just beginning to turn black from the Wither poison.

I felt more tears pool in my eyes and I didn't struggle to hold them back.

This was...

The end.

* * *

I opened my eyes one last time. My heartbeat had almost slowed to a stop and the Wither poison had completely taken me over. I was too close to death to even cry. I could only watch the Nether star shine from where it lay... so close, yet so far.

It was... devastating.

I heard a faint meow and Quexa padded into my line of view, swishing her tail worriedly. She stared at me for a few seconds, then turned and ran up to the altar, shaking off her soaking wet fur. She pawed at the Nether star curiously, and watched it with wide green eyes as it slid easily over the witchwood planks. She pawed at it a few more times, and somehow... somehow, she managed to get it to slide onto the altar, where it needed to be for the spell to be completed.

Silver sparks of magic flew from the altar and Quexa turned tail and ran, darting towards me. She hid herself under my robes, watching fearfully as the silver sparks wound themselves into tendrils and started slowly arcing towards me.

"Good cat," I murmured, managing a weak smile, but it was all I could do because my heart...

_Tha-thum..._

was...

_Tha... thum..._

slowly...

_Tha..._

stopping.

_..._

**WAG! NO! *sobs* He - he's... gone.**

**Infecta... _Infected... _Mutata... _Changing.._. Perdidit Me... _Losing myself._.. Paulatim Mori... _Slowly dying_... Oh, Notch, that song fits so perfectly that it's actually scary. Oh, and for those wondering, I didn't stay up quite as late finishing this. Only until 12:15 AM. That's too early to stop writing, so I'll continue. Oh, and happy February 32nd, everybody! XD If you don't know who that's a reference to, then I pity you greatly.  
**

**(Quexa the cat is heavily based off my two cats, Stormy and Bunny - the cuddliness and the shedding! XD)**


	5. Remember the Fireflies

**Hey y'all, it's Ender! I hope you're having a great day and I hope to make it even better with this new one-shot! NOTE: I do ****not**** own Minecraft, Mianite, any YouTubers mentioned, and really, I don't own anything except this story.**

_Remember the Fireflies_

I felt the ship scrape against the sandy ocean floor and I looked up, taking in the familiar landscape that surrounded me. Grassy savannah plains rolled out for what seemed to be endlessly and tall mountains reared up out of the ground, standing strong against the sunrise. Stunted acacia trees dotted the landscape, their silvery bark gleaming with dewdrops.

I was home.

Champwan, Tom, Tucker, and Sonja stared at the landscape with wide eyes, clearly recognizing their old home, unchanged at the first glance. Jordan was sitting on the back of the ship, staring out into the ocean. He held a brown, tri-cornered hat in his hands and I wondered where he had gotten that, or what he was thinking about. Matt, Phil, and the wizard Tom were all quietly talking amongst themselves and I decided against eavesdropping. I knew they wouldn't appreciate it and they were a lot more powerful than I was right now. I didn't want to risk the possibility of a wizardly punishment.

"Let's go, guys," I whispered, the prospect of walking once more through these all-too familiar lands slightly daunting. This would be the first time I had come back in two years. I never dreamed I would be returning with my friends though.

My first few steps on the shores of Mianite almost overwhelmed me with a wave of nostalgia. I remembered the first time I had come to the land of Mianite - Champwan and I had been adrift for days, searching for a place where we could make our home. Our supplies had run out two days prior and we were practically starving. Then, we found this bountiful land of plenty, which seemed like a blessing from Mianite.

But now, as I walked farther into my old home, I began seeing things that reminded me of more recent events.

Shards of broken quartz on old stone bricks. Ruins of a small shop with tea plants growing from the floor. And of course, the mighty walls of Tucker and Sonja's house - crumbled and burned.

"Oh gods," Tucker whispered, staring up at the remains of his destroyed house. "It - it's gone."

"It took us so long to build too," Matt moaned, staring at a charred support beam. "What about everything else? Is it all gone?"

I stared at the grass beneath my feet, not wanting to meet my friend's horrified gazes. "I - I told the blazes to burn everything. Not excluding my old house. I wanted none of the past remaining."

Jordan whimpered and Champwan closed his eyes, swallowing. I had done so much damage to everyone, not just psychically, but emotionally too. I had literally destroyed their entire life, ripped apart families, and left them for dead - in the land of the dead. It was the worst feeling in the world, knowing that I could never fix that. I could never restore the peace that had previously been hanging over this world like a soft, shielding cloud.

I briefly wondered when Wag was going to join us. He had opted to stay behind in Dagrun when he regained his wizard powers. He said he would teleport back to this land in a couple days. The only problem was, he had said that a couple days ago. I had been fully expecting him to be waiting for us on the shore.

But he wasn't here. Had something happened to him? I didn't know. There were a lot of things that I didn't know. I didn't know what the prophecy was going to be about. I didn't know who I was going to have to fight.

I didn't know if I would survive.

"Dec? Are you alright?" I was shaken from my thoughts by Champwan's soft question and I glanced at him. "Just let me know if this is too much for you. I'm always here to help."

I shot him a sad smile, distant memories resurfacing fresh in my mind. Champwan had always tried to help me - even though I had shoved him away so many times. I really didn't deserve a friend like him - in fact, I didn't deserve to have any of these people as my friends. But they had chosen to stick by me, and for that, I couldn't be anymore grateful.

* * *

I stalked into the town of Dagrun, my eyes narrowed, daring anyone to challenge my right to be here. I got a few scared glances, but no one stopped me as I strode into the castle gates. I needed to have a talk with a certain king.

I ran into Prince Andor before I was able to walk into the castle itself - the young prince flared out his wings and stared at me, confused.

"Where are you going?" Prince Andor asked curiously. Like Dec, he had wings, except his were actually a part of his body and not just a disguise for a godly flying ability. They were a shimmering dark purple and I felt slightly jealous, but I pushed the matter aside. I didn't need wings to fly.

"I need to have a word with your father," I answered, every word clipped and short. "If he has a moment. If not... then I'll make a moment."

Prince Andor hesitated at my threat and I didn't wait for a reply, instead pushing him out of my way and stalking past. I heard his cry of shock when he saw my hands but I ignored it, a now-familiar chill beginning to creep back into my heart.

I quickly darted behind one of the castle towers, and with a rapid glance to make sure no one was watching me, a pulled a glass bottle filled with milk out of a pocket in my robes and took a quick gulp. Almost immediately, I started to feel warmer and I slunk out from behind the tower, tucking the bottle of milk back into my robes.

The poison had had a lasting effect on me. The only way to keep it from taking over again was by constantly drinking milk. It was annoying and hard to get used to, but I had to struggle on.

"Who are you?" King Helgrind's voice boomed right next to me and I whipped around, my hand instinctively flying to my sword sheath, before remembering that I had left my weapon behind. The king glared at me suspiciously and I felt a fresh surge of hatred.

"Don't you recognize me?" I whispered coldly. "No, of course not. You thought I was gone for good."

King Helgrind's eyes widened with fear and he took several panicked steps away from me. I grabbed his wrist, stopping him from escape, and glared at him menacingly.

"You left me to die," I snarled. "All because of your own hunger for power. Do you have any idea what it's like, unable to move, unable to cry out, and unable to stop your own death? No. You wouldn't. So why should you have been able to decide my fate?"

"Let go of me, you monster!" The king snapped and I twisted his wrist sharply to one side, his short cry of pain giving me a spike of satisfaction. "You're nothing but a wretched beast!"

"And whose fault is that?" I hissed. "You're the one who made me into this," I held up my hand in front of King Helgrind's face, showing him my dark grey skin. "Because you wouldn't help me. You don't deserve to be a king. You deserve to die."

"No more than you, traitor!" King Helgrind howled, wresting his wrist from my grasp. "You are hereby banished from the world of Ruxomar!"

"You think I'd want to stay here?" I laughed without humour, my voice harsh and grating. "But I'm not done with you yet. You still have much to repay me."

I summoned my sword, then changed it into a gleaming wand. "You'd do well to remember my name next time, Helgrind."

"For I am Waglington, the mighty wizard of Mianite."

* * *

It had been two days since we had returned home. There was still no sign of Wag and I was getting worried.

He should have regained his magical powers by now, unless something had gone dreadfully wrong. I wanted so badly to check, but I had to stay here with the others and fix what I had done wrong. Wag would have to manage on his own, however much I wanted to help.

I had been assisting Jordan in rebuilding his house, since it was the simplest out of anyone's. Tom's house had decayed badly over the years - especially since he had died well before the others. Tucker and Sonja had to have the help of the wizards to repair their mansion, but since the wizards were busy with their HQ, Tucker and Sonja had to live in a temporary hut over by the Quartz-House, along with everyone else.

My old base wasn't too bad, considering that it had been built into a mountain. True, everything still reeked of smoke, but it only needed a few minor repairs before I moved back in.

I paused in the middle of replacing the quartz around Jordan's empty pool, sweat making my shirt stick to my back in the heat of the sun. It sure was hot for late autumn and I wished that there was water in the pool so I could just dive in for a swim. The only water nearby was the salty ocean down at the bottom of the cliff, which would be a pain to reach - unless, of course, I flew.

I glanced around quickly before remembering that I didn't need to hide the fact that I still had my ability to fly. I shrugged to myself and walked over to the railing just as Jordan stepped out onto the deck with an armful of more quartz shards.

"Hey Dec, I got some more -" Jordan's voice rose to a scream as I stumbled off the edge of his house, surprised by his sudden appearance. I yelped as I tumbled through the air, almost terrified completely out of my wits. I quickly concentrated on flying and my free fall was abruptly halted no more than a meter away from the blue-grey ocean waves.

"Dec!" Jordan yelled, racing out of his house and down the cliffside. "Dec!"

"It's okay!" I called back, dropping gently into the ocean. The cool water swirled around me and I spat out a bit of salt water. "I'm perfectly fine!"

Jordan stared at me when he saw that I was floating calmly in the middle of the ocean, not even hurt or panicked. I began to swim slowly over to the mortal, being pushed ashore by the powerful waves.

"How are you alive?" Jordan cried as I stumbled onto the beach, water streaming from my sodden clothes. "That was a deadly fall!"

"I can fly, remember?" I smirked, shaking my head like a dog and scattering salty water droplets everywhere. "I'm a demigod."

"Wha - oh yeah, sorry," Jordan muttered, glancing down at his feet. "It's just so hard to remember that you were actually Dianite for a time. And now Dianite is back again, but Tom became Dianite too and... it's just so confusing."

"Wait - what?" I felt as though my stomach had just been completely filled with blocks of ice. "Tom is Dianite? Do you care to fill me in on this bit of information?"

"You didn't know?" Jordan frowned. "Before we fell into Dagrun, Tom slayed Dianite to get the fourth key to rescue Ianite. He took on Dianite's powers, but for some reason, they weren't quite as effective. I know for a fact that the fireballs were just lumps of glowing charcoal and not actually fire. But yeah - Tom virtually became became Dianite V2."

"That - that's not possible," I started to pace in front of Jordan. "How could Tom have gained powers that didn't exist?"

"I know how," A grim voice interrupted and I whipped around, searching frantically for the owner of the voice before I glanced up.

I recognized the flowing purple-grey robes and the orange tabby cat curled around the newcomer's shoulders. But no... it couldn't be him...

Wag stared down at us, his silver eyes glowing faintly as he stroked Quexa's ears. But his face was marred by dark grey, almost black swirls that overlapped to form unnatural patterns on his skin. Upon closer observation, I also saw that his hands were the same shade of grey and that he once again held his wand.

"Good to see you, Dec," Wag greeted, although there was no happiness in his voice. "I've learned a few things while you were gone. And you're not going to like them."

* * *

I wasn't immediately bombarded with questions, only horrified stares. I could imagine what I must look like to them - a monster. The Wither poison hadn't fully been cured and probably never would be. I still had the imprints of the Wither effect forever tattooed into my skin, although they would be harmless to touch.

"I guess I should explain myself, huh?" I suggested after neither Dec or Jordan made a move to speak. "Come on up to the house. We can talk better there."

I blinked and suddenly, we were all up at Jordan's house, sitting in his half built living room. I wrinkled my nose at the ruined house, but now was not the time to go on cleanup duty. I had a lot of information to tell my friends and not all of it was good.

Scratch that - _none_ of it was good.

"So I bet you're wondering about my face," I rubbed one of the swirls that ran down to my neck, curling under my chin. "Well, to get my powers back, I needed a nether star. The only way to do that was by fighting a Wither. I wasn't careful enough and I got hit by a Wither skull. I didn't have anything to counter the poison and my only hope was to get the star to my altar and complete the spell so that hopefully the magic would affect me and reverse the poison. The Wither poison spread faster than I realized and I collapsed right before I got to the altar.

"I managed to toss the Nether star up onto the altar, but it wasn't close enough to complete the spell. I lay there for what seemed like hours, fighting a losing battle against the poison. I thought that was it. I thought that I was going to die.

"Then, King Helgrind came up to the altar. He told me that I was a 'threat' to his rise to power. That it would be so easy for him to help me, but he wouldn't. Then he walked away and left me for dead.

"By that point, I was too weak even to cry. I could _feel _myself dying. I could _feel_ my heartbeat slowing to a stop. It was the worst thing I had ever felt and I wanted nothing more than for it to be over. Then, Quexa came over and nudged the star into place. The magic was able to reach me just as my heart stopped and was able to drive back the Wither poison enough for me to regain consciousness and summon some milk and a healing potion. The milk stopped the effects while the healing potion helped me recover my strength quickly. But it's not gone - I have to constantly drink milk now to stop the Wither poison from reaching my heart again.

"After another day, I went into town to confront the king. He was shocked that I was alive but clearly gave away his motives in that he only wanted power. I teleported away, gathered up Quexa and any other nescessary things that I had and left. I came here to warn you. King Helgrind wants this land as his own. He seeks to conquer the gods and anyone else who stands in his way to complete domination."

I finished my story and glanced at Dec and Jordan, silently waiting for a response. They were both staring at me in shock, their mouths hanging open. Quexa purred and wound around my legs, clearly begging to be rubbed. I obliged, scratching her cheek as I continued to wait.

"The - king?" Jordan choked out, his voice thick with disbelief. "But he was the one who -"

"- Who left me for dead," I interrupted coldly. I was starting to feel chilly again, despite the warm day, and I brought out my bottle of milk, taking a quick drink. "The king is bad news. Whatever he did that was 'helpful' means nothing. He was just trying to get you on his side so that he would have a stronger army."

"So now we know the enemy," Dec muttered. "What do we do about it?"

"We wait," I shrugged, not knowing what else to say. "We're not strong enough to make an attack on Dagrun. Besides, we're greatly lacking in numbers that we used to have."

"D - don't remind me," Dec shuddered, glancing away from us. I felt a twinge of guilt for bringing the subject up but swallowed it back. Dec was going to have to face the truth sooner or later.

"But what were you saying earlier about Tom's powers?" Jordan changed the subject, and I wasn't blind to the look of relief that filled Dec's eyes.

"It's simple," I smirked, picking up Quexa and setting her in my lap. "Simple transfer of godly energy through a dimension that only exists in your mind. In other words, everything that happened between you dying - which you've explained that you remember as a journey to Ianarea where Syndicate was able to acquire some of the godly energy that went into creating that world - and waking up in the Dagrun prison was just a hallucination in the land of life and death. My guess is that your spirit was taken from the land of the dead and put into a new mortal body. Then, whatever godly spirit was controlling it simply created an alternate dimension for you to 'live' in before you were dropped through the sky. It was just to make sure you had no gaps in your memory and also to create a believable lie."

If it was even possible, Dec and Jordan seemed more shocked than before at my explanation.

"Well done, wizard," a very insolent, very familiar voice spoke from behind me and I had to stop myself from immediately leaping up and punching the speaker in the face. "It appears you have grown smarter since you left."

"Helgrind," I growled, slowly standing up and turning around to meet my enemy's cold glare. Prince Andor stood off to the side, his wings raised slightly and his head downcast as though he was uncomfortable with being here. "Why are you here?"

King Helgrind laughed and spread his arms, as though giving a warm welcome. "Why, to finish what I started, of course! And that will be starting - with your death, wizard."

* * *

I was prepared to fight. I was prepared to bash King Helgrind's head in.

However, I was _not _prepared to be teleported to the Forest of the Abyss.

I yelped as I was teleported away from Jordan's house and right next to an obsidian-glowstone tree. King Helgrind had teleported too and seemed as surprised as I did, but Wag looked very apologetic.

"Sorry," He muttered. "Sometimes I teleport randomly when I get nervous. One time I ended up in Syndicate's saltshaker."

I couldn't even bring myself to laugh and instead gave a quick glance around the small forest. It was just me, Wag, and King Helgrind. Perfect.

It would be the final fight.

Wag charged first, screaming a spell directed straight at the king. Helgrind raised his sword and deflected the magic easily, the silvery tendrils dissipating into the air.

"You think it will be so easy, wizard?" King Helgrind sneered, blocking another spell. "I'll teach you better soon enough."

I dove in for my own attack, unsheathing my diamond sword and swiping at the king's sword arm. Unfortunately, his reflexes were almost cat-like as he parried my strike, twisting under my sword and shoving me away. I stumbled, but didn't fall, noticing how Wag was floating slightly in the air, trying to get the advantage of height as he shot spell after spell.

I attacked time after time, yet I never managed to get under King Helgrind's guard. Wag was shooting spells more slowly and I could tell that he was tiring rapidly. We would have to end this soon, but the king's eyes still shone with a fresh hatred.

We couldn't go on for much longer.

We were going to lose.

* * *

My hope was rapidly fading as my spells proved ineffective. I was exhausted. I had to float down to the ground, but I was getting too shaky to even stand.

King Helgrind was going on the attack now, forcing Dec back while still smoothly deflecting my magic. Dec seemed desperate, his eyes wide with fear as the king began to get behind his defense and draw blood. I felt my rage build up even more and decided it was time to try a tactic that King Helgrind wouldn't suspect.

I summoned a diamond sword to my free hand and tucked my wand away. I swiftly darted behind the king and raised my sword to deal a deadly strike, but Dec's sudden, terrified screech made me freeze.

King Helgrind had disarmed Dec and had his own sword pressed against the demigod's throat. Dec was pinned against one of the trees, pale, trembling, and covered in his own scarlet blood.

"Oh, revenge certainly is sweet," King Helgrind chuckled. "You know, I bet you never did find out who killed your father, did you? Well, maybe it's time for you to realize the cold, hard truth."

I saw Dec's eyes widen as the realization hit him right before King Helgrind revealed it himself.

"I killed your father."

"No," Dec rasped, voice shaky with disbelief. "H - how?"

"I knew of this land and the gods within it long before you ever came here," the king chuckled. "My goal was always to eliminate them from my plans of domination. You had already taken care of Ianite. I imprisoned Khione shortly after. Only Mianite and Dianite stood in my way - but I didn't know that Dianite had had a son. And now... thanks to you... Dianite has returned and all my efforts were for nothing," King Helgrind ended in a snarl, his sword shaking as his hands grew unsteady from rage.

"Then I suppose," Dec narrowed his eyes. "That you wouldn't mind knowing that you've lost. You've lost, Helgrind. Because as long as I am breathing, you will never suceed in ruling this land. You have nothing to fight for - just a hunger for worthless power. I - I have something worth fighting for. My family. My home. My _friends._"

"Friendship," King Helgrind's voice became deathly cold and I tensed, a dark feeling of dread creeping into my heart. "Cannot save you."

I chose that moment to strike, but at the same time, I heard Dec scream in pain. I knocked King Helgrind away from Dec and pinned him against another tree. I barely had time to see the flash of fear in his eyes before I had buried my sword deep in the king's chest, ending his life quickly and mercilessly.

I stood, panting, my hands and face splattered with dark blood, as King Helgrind's body collapsed to the earth. I smiled victoriously and turned around to share in the defeat of the king with Dec...

...Only to find the demigod slumped against an obsidian tree with King Helgrind's sword buried deep in his stomach.

* * *

Pain...

Pain...

_Pain..._

Oh gods, I couldn't take this.

I screamed, trying desperately to pull the sword out of my stomach, but the blood coating it made it too slick. I felt more blood bubble up in my throat and I coughed, the movement sending a wave of agony washing over me.

"Dec!" Wag's voice, filled with panic, cut through my pain-shrouded thoughts. I couldn't see anymore... my head was spinning and everything merged into a haze of black and red.

"No! Dec, look at me! Please, look at me!" I blinked rapidly and felt myself sliding to one side. Strong arms caught me and I was gently rested in someone's lap. I couldn't even cry out anymore - there was too much blood in my mouth. The pain wasn't going away either - it was intensifying to a biting agony.

It was more than my body could take.

This was it.

I was dying.

I... I would never be able to see my friends again. Never be able to tell them how much they meant to me.

I opened my eyes weakly, staring up at the sky. It was just beginning to grow dark, a dusky blue covering the sky. The glowstone on the trees was shining softly against the night.

Everything seemed so peaceful, and here I lay, soaked in blood, dying.

_Why?_

I heard Wag sobbing, but the sound was muted, as though it was underwater. I felt him gently brushing my hair out of my eyes and I felt how he trembled while doing so.

Gradually, the pain started to die away and I felt lightheaded. I knew what this meant. I would die in just a few minutes, maybe less. Smaller, dimmer lights started to shine, blinking on and off. They were too small to be stars and my mouth twitched into a weak smile.

"F - fireflies," I whispered softly, not having the strength to cough up the blood anymore. "W - Wag... re - remember me wh - when you s - see th - the fire - fireflies..."

"I will," I heard Wag choke out softly. "I - I promise."

I smiled once again. Fireflies - would be a good reminder. Their light always shone in the darkest times, always there, even if you couldn't see them.

Yes...

The beautiful blinking fireflies stayed with me as I finally closed my eyes...

And let the world fade away into nothing.

* * *

I stood at a gravestone, illuminated by the sunset, a small bouquet of tiny yellow flowers in my hands. It had been two weeks - two weeks since Dec had died.

Nine days ago, everyone's memories had fully returned. Eight days ago, User, Twisted, Aurey, Felisa, Kitse, Kilo, and Linden appeared on the shores of Mianite. Prince Andor had decided to stay, proclaiming that the life of ruling a kingdom was not for him. Repairs were almost done on all the buildings and all the wizards were happily rejoicing about that.

But there was an empty gap in the community now. Dec had left behind nothing but memories - memories of a happier time.

I felt a single tear trickle down my cheek and I didn't bother wiping it away. I missed Dec - so much more than all the others. I felt as though I could have saved him. I was there when he died. I was the only one left to pass on the heartbreaking news to the others.

Dec was gone.

He had died for his friends. For everyone. It was the most painful sacrifice for anyone to witness, especially for me.

I slowly knelt down next to his grave and dug a shallow pit in the soft ground with my darkened hands. I planted the flowers in the dirt and carefully covered up their roots, standing up and waiting.

Just a few minutes later, fireflies started appearing around the flowers, blinking their golden lights. I stood back and watched them as they lit up the words carved into the gravestone.

_"Light in the darkness, hidden by shadows,_

_Always shines brightest when it's hardest to find_

_Stay in the shadows, a light waiting to shine,_

_And come out at last when all hope is blind."_

Dec was a light in the shadows. Most of the time, he had tried to hide his light.

But when hope was blind, he shone through.

I smiled faintly, holding out my hand for a little firefly to land on. It landed lightly on my palm and crawled around for a bit before taking off again, shining out through the ever-darkening night.

I promised Dec that I would always remember him.

I would remember the fireflies.

**Always. I will always remember the fireflies. *blinks back tears***

**Well. I finished writing this at 4:30 in the morning. Again with the staying up late to finish these! What is with that? And yeah, those pale yellow flowers are the firefly plant from Orespawn that spawns in fireflies at night. I thought it fit perfectly.**

**You guys reading _Amulet_... I hope you realize this is the second time in a week that Dec's died. XD He's my favourite character to write about as well!**

***has been listening to 'Ender Dragons' for the past three hours***

**-Ender**


	6. Flying Without Wings

**Hey y'all, it's Ender! I hope you're having a great day and I hope to make it even better with this new one-shot! Yes. Another one. Because guess what: this here is becoming a book of Mianite-themed one-shots!**

**NOTE: I do NOT own Minecraft, Mianite, any YouTubers mentioned, or anything else in this story save for the story. Takes place after the previous one-shot.**

**Summary: ****After returning to the land of Mianite, Wag has once again settled into the living quarters of FyreHQ... but a stranger from the world of Ruxomar has also joined them. The mysterious Prince Andor always seems to be around when Wag least expects it - and most needs it. (Andorington one-shot)**

_Flying Without Wings_

There he was again. The prince. I swear, he was always around - it was like he was stalking me or something. Sometimes I saw him standing in the shadows, watching me, and sometimes I only saw a shimmering purple wing or a fleeting glance from cyan-blue eyes.

I stopped my conversation with Tom outside the HQ for a second and stared at Prince Andor, who was standing at a distance. He quickly flew off when he saw me looking at him, taking to the air easily with his large angelic-like wings. I shook my head, telling myself that it was just a coincidence.

"Hey, Wag?" Tom asked curiously, shifting on his feet. "Are you okay? You look like you've just seen a ghost."

"It's nothing," I muttered. "Just - just the memories. I still can't believe that it's been two months. It only seems like a week since -" I stopped myself before I could continue. It still hurt too much to think about Dec and how I could have saved him - _should have_ saved him.

Tom nodded sadly and put his hand on my shoulder in a gesture of comfort. "It's okay. You'll get through this. We're all here to help you."

"Yeah," I breathed. But no matter how much reassurance I was given, I knew I would never be able to get over it. Dec had always feared that he would never be missed if he died. I only wished I could assure him that I wanted nothing more than to have him back in the living world.

To be honest, his death reminded me too much of Chase's. The young wizard, who I had only known for a year, had sacrificed himself for me by taking a poisoned dagger to his stomach. And now, Dec had done much the same thing, except he was sacrificing himself for the fate of the whole land.

I knew I could never be that noble. Dec was the bravest friend I had ever had. Sure, he had doubted himself and doubted others, but in the end, he died knowing that there couldn't be anyone else who had sacrificed more.

I swallowed back a sob and turned away from Tom. It was just so hard for me to get through this. I didn't like talking with anyone about it, as it only brought up fresh grief.

"I'm going to finish those building plans," I murmured to Tom, ignoring his concerned glance. "You can round up the other wizards to go and finish up any repair work that needs doing. I heard that Syndicate found some of the redstone to his vault messed up."

Tom nodded and I turned around, staring at the floor, and walked back into the HQ. It was true, I had yet to finish the layout plans of the Fyre group's next build, but I didn't think I could concentrate on that right now. I needed to be alone for a little while.

I walked into a nearly hidden door on the right side of the main hall, invisible to most but a familiar path to me. It of course led to the living quarters within FyreHQ, which included a medium sized dining room, a meeting hall, and the main spiral staircase leading up to the different rooms. There was a giant fountain with three tiers in the middle of the room with the staircase, and hanging from the ceiling of the tower was a golden chandelier, lighting up the tower with magical candles that would burn forever.

I ascended the staircase to the second-to-top floor, the sound of water splashing in the fountain soothing to hear. Every floor had two rooms - Matt and Phil had rooms on the top floor, Tom and I had rooms on the floor right below, and Twisted and User's empty rooms were on the floor below that. The two best friends still preferred to live in their little mushroom house amongst the mortals, but still visited from time to time.

I trudged into my room, quietly shutting the door behind me. My room was almost completely soundproof and the dark mahogany paneling helped to absorb any internal noise. There was a desk by the window which had maps of building plans spread out all over it, but I ignored that and instead sank down onto my bed, crawling under the warm sheets. The magic silver orbs of light floating around my room dimmed down at just a simple murmur and I closed my eyes. Yes, it was the middle of the day, but I was hoping that I could dream myself to a place where I had walked before, and maybe meet up with someone I had been wanting to talk to for weeks.

Maybe it would help me get through this.

Maybe it would help me.

Maybe...

* * *

_I never thought that I would wish to be back here, amongst the dead trees and the lost souls._

_But today, I was here on a mission to find someone. I had no clue if he was even still around as a spirit, but if he was, I was going to find him._

_I walked swiftly through the masses of lost souls, but since I was only here in a dream, they ignored me. I swallowed down my rising fear as a dark red river came into sight, the current slow and the liquid thick. It wasn't water that filled that river - it was blood._

_I walked for what seemed like hours, searching for the slightest sign of Dec's whereabouts. I found nothing, just a few spirits running from the lost souls and begging for help. I knew they wouldn't be able to find any help here. I was lucky enough to find my friends so that we could defend ourselves together, but that was only after they had also found Syndicate, who had been 'living' in this land for years and was able to teach them how to bend the fabric of the reality in this world._

_But now I was all alone, and I knew Dec didn't know how to force this world to obey his will. There was almost no chance that he would have survived this long.  
_

_That's when I realized that there was a large group of lost souls in the distance, screeching and wailing angrily, as though they were trying to reach something they couldn't get. My thoughts immediately flew to Dec and I ran forwards, tripping over my robe in my haste.  
_

_I shoved through the crowd of lost souls and found the young priest completely surrounded. He was desperately swinging a Wither sword and I had to force myself forwards, remembering my own experience with Wither poison._

_"Dec!" I cried, relieved that he was still alive. "Dec, it's me!"_

_"Stay back!" Dec screeched, shrinking away from me. "D - don't come any closer!"_

_"Dec, it's okay!" I made my way over to his side, grabbing his arm as he tried to jerk back. I glared angrily at all the lost souls trying to reach him and hugged Dec close against me. The priest broke down and clung tightly to my robes, sobbing hysterically as I rose up into the air and flew him away from the mob of souls. They howled in protest and tried to grab me, but I kicked their smoky hands away. I would not let Dec die to these souls today._

_I flew until I reached a large tree where I couldn't see any spirits. I gently floated down, still holding Dec, and sat amongst the twisting roots. Dec was silent, but he was trembling badly as he leaned against me._

_"Dec?" I whispered, searching his face. He looked as though he hadn't slept in weeks, and his eyes were red from crying. He sported several nicks and scrapes, and the scars on his arms looked freshly torn open, as if by sharp claws. I felt anger well up inside my chest. Dec didn't deserve to be hurt and tortured like this - he had gone through so much already. This just wasn't fair._

_"I - why did you come? Are you d - dead too?" Dec whispered, his eyes glistening with more tears and his terrified stutter was heartbreaking for me to hear. He had been broken, and there was no way for me to help him._

_"No, I'm not," I murmured, gently tracing my fingers over a particularly nasty gash on Dec's cheek. He flinched away as though it hurt him and I frowned sadly. "I'm only here in a dream. I can't stay long, but I had to find you."_

_"F - find me?" Dec glanced up at me, his dark brown eyes filled with confusion. "Why would you want to do that?"_

_"Because I miss you," I answered, surprised that he doubted me. "Please, Dec, I want nothing more than for you to be alive again. Back with us. Back with your friends. We all miss you."  
_

_Dec made a choked sobbing noise and rubbed his arms, wincing as he pressed down on the fresh scars. For the first time, the thought came to me that maybe it wasn't any sort of mob or soul that had made the bright red cuts on Dec's arms. It was all too possible that he could have found a sharp shard of flint and... done it himself. It made me feel sick to think about Dec harming himself like that because he thought no one cared, even in death._

_"Did you -" My question trailed off, but Dec seemed to know what I meant. He swallowed, and gave me a quick nod, sniffling. I closed my eyes tightly for a second before opening them and looking down at Dec. How could someone who had given up his life to save his friends feel so insecure?_

_"I want to g - get out of here," Dec whimpered, burying his face in my robes. "I can't take this. I d - don't want to become a lost soul, but I can't fight for - forever. I - I don't know what to do. Please, Wag. I'm scared."_

_"I wish I could help," I heard Dec start crying again and I pulled him closer, wrapping my arms around him protectively. I really did want to help him, but there was no way for me to do so. It wouldn't be long now before I woke up and then Dec would be alone again. He seemed too weak to go on fighting, and I knew it wasn't likely that he would last much longer.  
_

_Dec's spirit would be destroyed and I would never be able to see him again._

_"I'm so sorry," I whispered sadly. "I should have saved you. I shouldn't have let this happen to you."_

_Dec didn't reply and instead started to tremble again. I knew he was terrified that he would be killed in here and I felt his fear as clearly as if it were my own. After all, I had gone through much of the same experience, only I had my friends with me._

_Dec was alone though. He had no one to help defend him. I wanted so badly just to help him..._

_But I couldn't._

_And that was the hardest thing of all for me to accept._

* * *

I woke up in the late afternoon, the memory of my dream staying fresh in my mind. Dec was still a spirit... for now. I didn't know how much longer he could survive alone, and it had broken my heart to see him so upset.

I slowly trudged out of my room and walked out onto the staircase, leaning on the smooth wooden railing. I stared at the shining chandelier, watching the magical blue candles sparkle and dance, driving back the shadows.

Lights had taken on a new meaning for me. They were no longer just a way to see through darkness - they were a symbol of hope and peace. They warded off evil and provided warmth and comfort to those around them.

Dec's final wish - to remember him in the fireflies - had completely altered my view on life. How the simple things count. How the small things make a difference. How we should value what seems so unimportant. Because that's what makes up life.

I sighed softly, then noticed a candle that had gone askew. It was flickering weakly, tilted to one side. I frowned and reached out over the railing, too troubled to concentrate on flying. I stretched my arm out as far as I could, leaning dangerously over the railing as I tried to reach and fix the lopsided candle.

Suddenly, I found myself slipping forwards, my feet lifting off the ground as I lost my balance. Time seemed to slow down as I fell, a scream rising in my throat as I plummeted down the tower, flailing hopelessly in the air.

I landed hard on the top tier of the fountain, wailing as pain exploded throughout my body. A haze of red shrouded my vision and I rolled over slightly, groaning softly. I fell down the rest of the level, yelping as I was battered worse each time by the hard concrete material. Finally, I landed on the bottom level, water rushing down over me and soaking through my robes instantly. I lay on my back, gasping for breath with my eyes tightly shut.

Oh gods... _oh gods..._ this - this was horrible. I just lay in the fountain, feeling the cool water cascade over me as I sobbed. It hurt too much to move and when I cracked open my eyes, I found that the water around me was laced with horrific swirls of scarlet blood. I shuddered, then felt an icy chill race through my limbs from out of nowhere.

_No..._ How long had it been since I had had a drink of milk? It had to have been at least six hours. The Wither poison was taking over again. It would kill me if I couldn't get milk in time...

Which was a problem because I couldn't move without feeling intense pain.

It seemed like hours as I lay in the fountain, shivering, whimpering, and moaning in pain. I couldn't move, I couldn't speak, and my world had turned into eternal agony.

This was too much for me to handle.

I faintly heard a door open and close, but I could barely even cry out anymore. I was shivering worse than I ever had before, the Wither poison freezing the water onto my skin at first contact. I was completely covered in a thin sheet of ice and I could feel my breaths slowing down.

"Wag?"

I wanted to answer.

"Wag, are you in here?"

_'Yes, I'm in here. Please, please, help me.'_

"Hello?"

_'I - I'm right here. Why can't you come to me?'_

"Is there anybody here?"

_'Please...'_

The sound of a door closing was enough to let me know.

Nobody was coming.

* * *

_Tha... thum..._

_Tha... thum..._

_Tha... thum..._

S - so cold...

Please... oh gods, why won't someone help me?

Just let me die already.

Someone.

Please.

I can't go on like this.

I can't open my eyes anymore. They've been frozen shut.

I can't move. I can't feel anything.

I can't...

* * *

I can feel myself being lifted up. I can hear someone talking faintly. I can only see darkness.

Maybe it's all over.

Maybe I'm dead.

I felt something warm wrapping around me and I sighed softly, leaning into the warmth. I was still so cold.

"It will be okay. Trust me."

I do. I do trust you. It doesn't hurt as much anymore.

"You're safe with me. Just hang on. I'll be right back."

What? Where are you going? The warmth leaves me and I whimpered, the cold rushing back in on me.

"Here. Drink this - it will help."

I felt a glass bottle being pressed up against my mouth and I obediently swallowed the liquid inside, recognizing the slightly bitter taste of a healing potion. I almost instantly felt better, but I was still cold.

Milk. I needed milk.

I tried to tell whoever gave me the healing potion that I needed milk, but all the only noise that I could make was a weak choking sound.

Then I felt another glass bottle against my lips and drank from that as well. I started to feel warmer again shortly after - it had been milk and it was driving back the Wither poison.

"There you go. You should be feeling better soon enough now."

I managed a thankful smile, even though my eyes were still closed. Whoever my saviour was, I was so glad that they had come when they did.

"Rest up. You've had a hard day. And I promise I'll be here when you wake up."

_Thank you._

* * *

I blinked, opening my eyes to find myself shrouded in the darkness of my room. The curtains were drawn and the lights were still dimmed. I felt something like a heavy blanket draped over me and I shifted slightly.

"Good morning, sunshine," I heard someone smirk and the 'blanket' was moved off of me. I caught a glimpse of shining purple feathers and that was all I needed to know.

Prince Andor. He had saved me.

"You...?" I left the question hanging, waiting for an answer. I knew he would understand what I meant.

Prince Andor nodded, a slight smile playing on his face. He was lying next to me on my bed, staring at me with bright eyes. "You gave me quite a scare. I came in to talk with you and I found you just lying in the fountain, covered in blood and ice. What happened?"

"I - I wasn't being careful and I fell," I admitted, embarrassed. "Thanks for saving me."

"Anything for you," Prince Andor's gaze was steady as he stared at me, cyan eyes swimming with unidentified emotions. "I would never leave you in trouble."

I glanced down, feeling a heated blush rise to my cheeks. Did he really mean for it to sound that way or...

"Actually, Wag, there's been something I've been meaning to tell you for quite a while now," Prince Andor began shyly, as though afraid to be rebuked. "You see, when I first met you, I was scared because you were a powerful wizard. I didn't know if you meant good or destruction. When you came to the town with the marks of Wither poison, I was confused. But after you confronted my father, I realized that you only tried to do what was best. And - and I just want to say that - that I care about that. About you. Maybe more than I should. But I do."

I blinked, trying to comprehend what the young prince had just confessed. It seemed so obvious - so crystal clear. But... did he really?

"I - I mean, I would understand if you hated me now," Prince Andor's wings drooped, the feathers trailing on the floor. "I guess - I guess I was hoping for too much."

"I never said different," I breathed, staring at Prince Andor. "Haven't you learned not to jump to conclusions?"

"Really?" Prince Andor's eyes widened with disbelief as he stared at me. "You - really?"

Did I?

Was I just saying that?

No.

I did feel something more for the prince.

"Really," I promised, feeling more certain about this than anything I had ever felt before. "I can promise you that on my life."

Prince Andor's eyes lit up and he slowly lifted his right wing, wrapping it around my shoulders. I leaned into his feathery hug, smiling happily.

And at that moment, everything was right in the world.

**I'd just like to say that I'm so much happier with this than my Sparkant one-shot.**


	7. Abyss of Fyre

**Hey y'all, it's Ender! I hope you're having a great day and I hope to make it even better with this new poem thing! Takes place in the Season 2 dimension, and is based off of the FyreUK livestream on Friday, where Matt went kind of crazy and tried to kill everything because he lost all his stuff. NOTE: I do not own Minecraft, Mianite, or any Youtubers mentioned.  
**

_'Ere I tried my best to fight_

_Against the temptations' whispers_

_But despite the calm reassurances_

_I turned to darkness and the night_

_The fire leapt up from my ash-stained hands_

_The lava swirled in pools around me_

_A throne of red was where I sat_

_And plotted the burning of the lands_

_My crystal child of seething rage_

_Festered in my burning cave_

_No smile touched my lips, no joy touched my heart_

_And my happiness ceased to age_

_Revenge danced on my mind and shone in my eyes_

_I lived only to serve the revenge_

_My crystal child grew even stronger_

_Fueled by my own hate and lies_

_I made a home within the anger_

_My thoughts were twisted with evil_

_And when I struck the living world_

_My friends only recognised me as a stranger_

_They pleaded for life, pleaded to _me!

_They didn't understand what I had been growing_

_A crystal child of of power; death; despair_

_And when I struck, I set my crystal child free_

_The land turned black and the moon turned red_

_My friends lost any power they had against me  
_

_I stood, cape billowing 'round my legs_

_And smiled at their cries of dread_

_The first smile to touch my lips in many, many years_

_Fueled by cruelty and the coldest hate_

_A bloodstained sword at my side just showed_

_I delighted in their tears_

_I had become a twisted being, relying on my hate_

_I could not turn away and I could never turn back_

_My crystal child whispered power in my ears_

_And this fire, this destruction, it was my fate_

_The coldest heart, the hottest fire_

_The cruelest smile, the softest joy_

_Thrown into turmoil I made my stand_

_Punished those who called me Liar_

_All the world within my hold_

_My crystal hate-child beside my sword_

_Bow down; bow down before me_

_My kingdom of lava and corrupted gold_

_The bloodstained moon hangs in the sky_

_You may see me smile, but only from the pain _

_You may see me laugh, but a chill creeps up your spine_

_You may see me angry - but you will never see me cry_

* * *

**UPDATES: The updates on this are going to be on days that have some significance to me - for example, March 31st, the day my other account on FF is becoming inactive. However, the reason this isn't actually a one-shot is because I'm still working on the next one, which is planned to be very long and very upsetting too.  
**


	8. Insomniac's Nightmare

**Hey y'all, it's Ender! I hope you're having a great day and I hope to make it even better with this new one-shot! DiamondOasis37 and I agreed that this one-shot must happen (And thanks to her help it did!) after seeing an amazing picture from Insomnia 54 of Wag and Tom! So enjoy, and remember the important NOTE: I do NOT own Mianite, any Youtubers mentioned, or any other copyrighted product.  
**

**WARNING: When taking (reading) this one-shot, readers may suffer from a cuteness overload, heartbreak and tears, and gut-wrenching feels. Please see the review section and tell your author immediately if you notice any of these symptoms occurring.**

_Insomniac's Nightmare_

I jerked up from my sleep, drenched in a cold sweat. My breathing was fast and my hands were clammy and shaking. I took a deep breath, clenching my fists and drawing my knees up to my chest as I tried to calm down.

It was the bloody nightmare again. It was so horrible and had been haunting me a week before the gaming event. It may have been my frantic nerves and the stress of being around so many people, but even though my insomnia was forcing my sleep schedule out of whack again, the dream just got more vivid every night.

Blood and screaming and darkness, that's all the nightmare was. But it was the same thing. _Every night_. Most people with insomnia don't dream often and certainly not every night for a straight week. I know I never dreamed much before this and when I did I could barely remember it after I woke up. This nightmare was always fresh and vivid, haunting me throughout the day too, whenever I was alone.

"James? Are you okay?" Kelsey's concerned question reach my ears and I turned to look at her, lying next to me in the bed, her wavy red hair strewn out across the pillow. I know she's been worrying about me - I've been unusually restless and moody these past few days - and she knows it isn't just because I'm nervous about the crowds.

"It's - it's nothing," I muttered, avoiding her piercing blue gaze. It was_ not_ nothing and it was certainly _not_ okay. But how could I explain my nightmare when I didn't know why I've been having it myself?

"James, you know you can talk to me," Kelsey murmured, sitting up and wrapping her arm around my shoulders. She leaned against me and I closed my eyes, resting my head on her hair. "You never used to hide anything from me before. What happened to change that?"

"Nothing happened," I whispered, trembling as I tried to not cry. I hated to admit it, but I was scared of the unknown. Not knowing what this nightmare was about terrified me. "I just don't want to talk about it."

"Not talking about things is a sure-fire way to make them worse," Kelsey told me, repeating the go-to phrase she said to me whenever I was melancholy and didn't want to talk. She was right about that - heck, she was right about most things - but I just didn't feel as though this was something I could confess. Plus, there was hidden feeling deep in my heart that I knew I would have to admit to sooner or later. It had been festering there for months and I had yet to let it take over.

I didn't want it to be true. I wanted to hang on to the frail reality surrounding me right now. I wanted to cling to it for dear life and never let go, no matter how many tears I shed when I was alone at night and no matter how many times I wished that I could let go.

Better to hang on than to fall.

I would be rejected if they knew. I would lose everything. My friends, my fans, my girlfriend...

My sanity.

"I'm sorry, Kelsey," I swallowed and got out of bed, rubbing my arm. "I can't. I can't tell you. It's nothing you've done or anything anyone else did. It's just... it's just too hard to talk about."

"Nothing's too hard," Kelsey stood up and walked around the bed so that she was facing me. "You just have to not give up."

"You think it's so easy?" I sighed, bending down to get my suitcase out from under the bed. My clothes were still all neatly packed up - I didn't see the point of unpacking them just so the hotel room could look untidy and messy. I grabbed a plain green T-shirt and a pair of jeans, tossing them onto the bed while I closed the lid of the suitcase. "I'm trying my best to understand the mess inside my mind and I'd rather sort it out first before telling anyone about it."

"Well start out by figuring out why it's in a mess," Kelsey said determinedly, going over to the small hotel closet. She, unlike me, preferred to unpack her belongings at the hotel. Sometimes I think she had it that way just to irritate me. "What could be so chaotic in your life to make you feel this way? Insomnia of course, both kinds, but that's not the main reason. What else?"

I ignored Kelsey as I got dressed, unwilling to get into her scheme. No matter how much I told myself I loved her, I couldn't tell her about this.

"That's all it is," I lied. "Insomnia." The bitter taste of the lie filled my mouth and I swallowed again, my throat feeling dry. I needed some water or something. Maybe we could get breakfast at the hotel and meet up with the other guys from Mianite there. I grabbed my hairbrush from a side pocket on my suitcase and quickly groomed down my mess of bedhead hair, making it look at least sort of presentable.

"Interesting," Kelsey murmured, but I could tell she wasn't convinced. I had been told by many people before that I was an awful liar. It wasn't helped by the fact that Kelsey knew me so well. She knew when I was being honest and when I was hiding something.

In fact, the only thing she didn't know was the only thing that could break us apart.

"Let's go down to get something to eat," I suggested, ending the discussion.

"Can you let me brush my hair first?" Kelsey huffed, walking into the bathroom. "It looks like a rat's nest and besides, I don't have hair so gloriously shiny that it doesn't matter what it looks like, unlike _some_ people."

I chuckled and tucked my hairbrush back into my suitcase's pocket. "You're so salty about my beautiful hair aren't you?" I teased, watching as she poked her head out of the bathroom to glare at me. She threw her comb at me and it hit my shoulder, not hurting me at all. I grabbed it and threw it back at her, but she dodged back into the bathroom, slamming the door, and the comb flew into the closed door, falling to the carpeted floor.

"My hair is too majestic for you to handle!" I yelled at her, smiling when I heard her laughter behind the white-painted door. It was times like this where I could forget my troubles and just have fun.

Oh, how I wished it could last.

* * *

The lights.

The sounds.

The _crowd_.

Out of all the things overwhelming my senses at Insomnia, the crowd was the worst. Not saying that the people in it were bad, I had quite a few stop to talk to me and take pictures, but just the crowded atmosphere in general was really making me jittery. I had butterflies in my stomach and even though I wasn't going to be up on the main stage, I was still nervous.

What if I made a fool of myself? What if I accidentally bumped into a really expensive piece of gaming equipment and it fell and broke? What if I hurt myself in front of everybody? What if, what if, what if.

What if I just told them?

What if I stopped lying and told them the deepest secret in my heart?

_What if they hated me?_

I couldn't take it if they hated me. I really couldn't. I wasn't strong enough.

I breathed out shakily and stared straight ahead, looking at people swarming around me, all chattering excitedly about things to do here. I felt like I was alone, even in this crowd. Kelsey had disappeared, gone to look at more artsy style games and I hadn't spotted anyone else from Mianite again because we had split up after breakfast. I spotted a few people with Mianite-related T-shirts, but no one approached me. They probably wanted to get to the main stage and see whoever was up there next.

I swallowed and turned around with the intent of finding a semi-quiet place to relax and calm down. I had no clue where I was going - after all, this was just the second day of the event. It's not like I've memorised this place yet.

"Hey! Wag! C'mere for a second!" I jump slightly, startled when I heard someone shouting my Minecraft name. I turned around and saw Tom running towards me, waving his arms around like a lunatic. I laughed as my fellow Dianitee skidded to a halt in front of me, eyes shining and a grin playing on his face.

"Dude, come on! We're going to be doing a livestream together!" Tom grinned, grabbing my arm. I blinked, surprised at his enthusiasm. "Come on now, you're going to be late! You can't disappoint the crowd!"

"Wait - am I going to be up on stage?" Tom nodded and a felt fear pool in the pit of my stomach. "No, Tom I can't do that! I - I'm not prepared for this. I can't go up on stage!"

"Sure you can!" Tom said cheerfully. "It'll be fine! Dec and Champwan will be up there too."

"I don't want to though," I protested, trying to talk Tom out of it. "I'm too nervous."

"Ah, what's there to be nervous about?" Tom winked. "It's only a couple hundred people... and a couple thousand more because of the livestream. Remember, you're a part of Tiem Reester now!"

"Tom..." I tried to protest but my friend wasn't having any of it.

"Listen, you'll be fine. We'll all be there with you," Tom sounded much gentler now as though he was picking up on the fact that I was legitimately terrified of going up on stage. I wasn't used to being thrown into the spotlight. I didn't want to face the hundreds of people in the live audience. And what about those that would be watching the stream? I trembled and realised my hands were sweaty.

"Waglington? James? Are you feeling okay?" Tom sounded concerned now and I swallowed, staring at the ground as I shook my head. I couldn't do this. Not only were there the crowds to worry about... but I could be edging dangerously close to my secret.

"Listen, James, it's okay. If you really can't do it then we won't force you to," Tom soothed, wrapping me up in a hug. I tensed, not daring to let my emotions show through. "We're not tyrants. We can just tell the guys that you didn't feel like you could go up in front of everyone. They'll understand."

"No," I started, then hesitated, choosing my next words very carefully. "I mean, no, I think I can go up. I just - I just need to - to," I cursed myself silently as my english failed me and I ended my explanation with a terrified-sounding stutter. Tom stared at me sympathetically and I found myself hating his pity. I shouldn't be like this. I should be stronger.

"I just need a moment to relax first," I pulled myself together and finally finished the sentence. "It's extremely overwhelming - there's so many people and it's so loud and it's just -" I sighed. This wasn't my first gaming event, but it was my first time where people actually knew who I was and were scouring the crowds for hours looking for me, just so they could meet me. It was scary, when I thought about it. I had never dreamed of fame. I just made videos to have fun and somewhere along the lines, I got popular.

"I understand," Tom smiled. "At least come backstage. It's a little calmer back there and you can wait until you're ready to come out and meet the crowd."

"Thank you," I whispered, but Tom had already disappeared back into the crowd, leaving me alone with the words of my secret hanging on my lips.

* * *

"Dec, come on up!" Tom called from where he was sitting on the couch up on the main stage. Dec winked at me and walked out of the backstage area, limping slightly from his knee surgery a few weeks ago. I was all tensed up, sitting next to Ryley and staring at one of the microphones scattered throughout the room. If I just kept my eyes on a fixed point then I could drown out the noises of the crowds that were so anxiously peering at the stage.

"Let's get a wizard up in here!"

Tom's words sent a chill don't my spine and I jumped, flying to my feet. I knew that Tom and Dec would be taking up most of the couch at this point so I grabbed a plastic chair and brought it with me as I walked onstage.

"He's brought something with him!"

"It's a chair!"

"Waglington brought... a chair?" Tom asked me as I set it down next to the couch, quickly taking a seat. I was aware of everyone watching me and I swallowed, tenser than ever. "Well, this is Waglington ladies and gentlemen!"

Dec gave me his microphone and I held it up to my mouth, taking a deep breath. "I have the best chair right now," I stated, smiling a little as I heard laughter from the audience.

"Look at him, he's just so awesome, isn't he?" Tom grinned, running his hand through his shock of faded-blue hair. "Just a wizard, doing wizard stuff!"

"Do you not fancy sitting on the couch?" The host asked me. "I'd gladly move."

"We're going to see how things go," Tom instantly told the host. "We might snuggle."

My breath caught in my throat and I forced myself to make my expression go blank. Tom was joking of course, but I had the hardest time keeping my secret from spilling out right there on stage and focused on calming down. Tom didn't realise the depth of his words. He didn't realise how much they struck home.

As Tom introduced the rest of the crew to the stage, I sat silently to the side, staring around at everyone. My nerves were a wreck; already I was freaking out. When Tom glanced over at me, he gave me a tiny nod, not enough to be caught by the cameras but enough for me to notice. No doubt he was picking up on my apprehension.

The Q&amp;A started and I watched the crowd, listening closely for any breath of my name. I wanted to please the fans but I was also scared to death. If I was asked a question, I wasn't sure if I would answer it with a shaking voice or end up running off the stage.

Possibly both.

I stared out across the crowd as they started cheering for Team Dianite, wondering how many of those people watched my videos and knew who I was. And then I saw it.

The scene from my nightmare.

The room went dark and the cheering turned to terrified screams. I smelled the odor of blood thick on the air and fear gripped my heart. I couldn't tear myself away. I couldn't move or close my eyes or anything.

Then I blinked and the scene melted away. There were no fear-fueled screams or blood-scent. The room was just as brightly lit with the electric blue lights.

"Wag, you okay?" Dec whispered in my ear, leaning over from his spot on the arm of the couch. I realised my hands were clenched around the edge of my chair in a death grip and I quickly let go of it, stretching my fingers. It had been a long time since I had had a hallucination, but never had I had one so vivid before.

"I'm... fine," I whispered back. Dec nodded, but he didn't look satisfied. He nudged Tom's shoulder, whispered something, then pointed at me. Tom gave me a concerned look but he didn't have time to ask me anything because just then, we were called upon to do a group question - which meant that I had to be included.

"What's your favourite part of Mianite?" the host repeated the question into his mic. "Talk amongst yourselves."

I expected the line to go from Sonja to Tucker to Tom to Dec and then to me and finally end up on Ryley. But then Tucker said "Let's go down from Champwan's side.

Crap. I was going to be right after Ryley then.

"My favourite part is probably building bases and killing everyone in the purges," Ryley shrugged. "I did end up getting banned from purges though so..."

Then I was up. "Being a wizard," I responded immediately, going to the answer that I was always so proud to stress in videos, not even thinking about other things in Mianite because I was so nervous. "I mean, what else could I say? Just being a wizard."

I think Tom knew that I was freaking out inside by the tone of my voice because he gave me another reassuring smile. "You're doing great," he whispered under his breath as Dec stood up to sign a shiny red hat that was apparently being signed by all of us.

Dec and Tom answered their favourite parts - "Power" and "Stealing" respectively, but then they got distracted and skipped over Tucker, going straight to Sonja. I think Tom must have realised and felt bad because he wrapped an arm around Tucker, pulling his best friend close to him in a hug. I felt an odd feeling strike my heart and it didn't take long for me to realise what it was.

Jealousy.

The feeling stuck with me as Tom started to tease Tucker and I forced myself to stay calm. The tension from facing the crowd plus the suppressed feelings that I was holding in - it couldn't be good for me if I let my feelings pour out and overwhelm me.

So for now... just stay calm... and keep everything bottled up inside.

* * *

It was after the live event was over and everything had calmed down that I finally felt myself relax.

We were all in a little VIP room where it was just the special guests, aka. YouTubers, and I had been invited back. I was currently sprawled out on a couch, watching everyone through half-closed eyes. I hadn't gotten too much sleep last night, considering my nightmare and the fact that I hadn't gone to bed until after three.

"So Dec," Tucker grinned cheerfully at the ginger. "How was your first time being up on stage?"

"Awesome," Dec replied, fiddling with a bit of paper. "Ten out of ten, would do again."

"My voice is shot," Tom stated and I noticed that it was really strained. "And I only got five hours of sleep last night too."

"Join the club," I sighed, closing my eyes completely. I was so tired. I heard Sonja murmur something sympathetically but I had already been cast into the darkness of sleep.

_First, there was a powerful rumbling in the earth. I was shaken back and forth and my hand splashed in a pool of warm, wet liquid. I screamed as I realised that my hand was now coated in blood. I couldn't stop screaming as the world turned black around me and kept shaking... shaking... shaking..._

"James!" My eyes flew open and I stared into Tom's terrified brown gaze. He had shaken me awake from my dream and had his hands firmly gripped on my shoulders. "James, you were thrashing around in your sleep! And... screaming."

Nightmares were bad. Thrashing around was worse. But screaming? I swallowed. Even if I didn't have insomnia, screaming while sleeping was a very bad sign.

Tucker and Sonja were both staring at me, mouths agape, Dec and Ryley were having a whispered conversation whilst shooting suspicious glances at me, and as for Tom, well, he was still leaning over me, face twisted in an expression of concern.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, not breaking eye contact with Tom. "I should - I should go now."

"James, wait!" Tom protested as I stood up, prepared to walk out of the room and just leave Insomnia early to go back home. "Don't leave! There's obviously something wrong. You have to tell us. Please. We're your friends; we're supposed to help you!"

I hesitated and Tom used that opportunity to get to his feet, throwing his arms around me and hugging me tightly. I felt tears stinging my eyes and I hugged Tom back, making little whimpering noises as I tried not to cry in front of everyone.

"Come on now guys. I think James would rather be alone right now," Tom snapped as my friends started to edge closer to us, most likely with the intent to help. They backed off and one by one, left the room, leaving me and Tom alone together.

"What happened, James?" Tom asked me. "Why are you so scared like this all of a sudden?"

I took a deep breath. I knew I could trust Tom. But could I trust him with the truth?

Yes. At least part of it.

"I don't know what's been happening," I started, preparing to launch myself into a whirl of strong and conflicting emotions. "It all started about a month ago. I began to feel as though I was truly an outcast, even though I was being included more than ever within the happenings on Mianite with you guys. I began to feel secluded from reality, growing more attatched to the game and the people within it. My - my girlfriend, she tried to help me. But somehow, I just didn't feel like I truly loved her any more. Something had happened and I don't know what. Then the nightmares started and - all my feelings and emotions are weighing in at more than I can c-carry. I'm sc-scared, Tom. I want to t-tell her but I c-can't."

I couldn't hold back my tears anymore. I was crying and sniffling, burying my face in Tom's jacket as I sobbed, shaking uncontrollably. Tom was still hugging me tightly, perhaps sensing that I desperately needed someone here for me.

The stress had been too much. Telling Tom about it and letting my emotions flow out like pent-up water rushing up from behind a burst dam had hurt and shaken me deeply. I couldn't stop crying. I was sobbing like a child in one of my best friend's arms and I had just admitted that I no longer loved Kelsey.

Tom didn't say anything, just held me close and let me cry my eyes out. His silence was comforting because I knew he wouldn't judge me.

That was part of why I was such good friends with Tom. He didn't care what differences other people had - it was his sincere goal in life to make other people feel happy and wanted. It was not in Tom's nature to be mean, only to help.

Somehow or another, after a solid five minutes of me crying, Tom was able maneuver us onto the couch where we sat together. Tom still had his arm around my shoulders and even though I had stopped crying, I was still shaking. I sniffled and wiped my eyes with the sleeve of my jacket, drawing in a shuddering breath.

"It will be okay, James," Tom whispered comfortingly. "It will all work out in the end - you'll see. Your day is young. You can still decide how to shape it."

"It's j-just - it's spinning out of c-control," I stuttered, my voice sounding raw and raspy. "I - I need someone there for me and I h-have no one."

"You have me," Tom reassured me. "I'm always here for you. Once Insomnia is over, remember, I'm never more than a phone call away. If you really need me, I will drop everything to come to you. I won't leave you like this though. You're still a wreck. You can come back to my hotel with me tonight, and if you have any nightmares, I'll be right there for you."

He'll be right there.

For _me._

* * *

"Aw! They're so cute like that!"

"Did you get a picture?"

"Shush! Don't wake them up!"

"Poor guys. They're so sleepy."

I became aware of people's voices whispering loudly around me and I slowly opened my bleary eyes. They felt sticky from crying and stung like crazy but at that moment I couldn't care less. What was more important at that moment was the, ehm, _awkward_ position Tom and I were in.

I had fallen asleep again while sitting on the couch and Tom was leaning against my chest, also fast asleep. His legs were propped up on the opposite arm of the couch and his arms were crossed over his stomach. I had one arm wrapped around him protectively and his face was resting against the crook of my arm.

Looking up, I saw that everyone was back in the room and Dec and Sonja had their phones out, obviously taking pictures of mine and Tom's "cuddlefest". I glared at them, but didn't dare move. I didn't want to wake Tom up.

"Dangit guys, I told you that you would wake them up," Dec hissed as he saw me glaring at them. "Dude, Waglington, it's okay. Stop acting like you're about to start shooting laser beams at us from your eyes."

I stuck my tongue out at him and leaned my head back against the couch. Great. So now that moment was probably all over the internet. Just what I needed.

"Yo Wag, you gonna stop cuddling any time soon?" Tucker snickered. Another glare was shot his way but he ignored it.

"Shut up you guys," I whispered angrily, trying not to wake Tom up. "Can't you just let him sleep?"

"Oh, I understand," Ryley smirked. "They want some more time to snuggle."

I vowed that I would murder Ryley once we got back to playing on Mianite again. Then maybe I would burn down his base and steal his stuff.

"Guys," I whined quietly, feeling Tom stir, though not enough for him to be waking up. "Really. Don't be rude. He's still asleep."

"Wag's right," Sonja smiled, a knowing glint in her eyes. "We've all had a long day and Tom's exhausted. We can go ahead and head out. I'm sure he and James will be able to find us once he's awake."

I gave Sonja a grateful nod of thanks as everyone reluctantly mumbled their consent. They all softly left the room, Dec snickering silently as he glanced at his phone. I could only imagine what he had posted on Twitter.

Tom sighed a few minutes after everyone had left, opening eyes that were clearly heavy with sleep. He stared up at me and smiled. I smiled back, moving my arm off of his chest.

"Hey," Tom whispered.

"Hey," I said back.

"Any nightmares?" Tom asked, slowly sitting up and stretching. I thought about it for a moment and realising with surprise that I hadn't dreamed about anything.

"No," I blinked and stared at Tom curiously. "I didn't have any dreams."

"That's great!" Tom's eyes brightened. "Maybe I have a magic touch."

_I'm sure you do,_ I thought, but didn't dare say it out loud. Instead I responded with a casual shrug.

"So are you going to tell her or do you want me to?" Tom questioned and it took me a moment to realise what he meant. I swallowed and pulled my phone out of my pocket as a silent answer, dialing Kelsey's number and holding the phone up to my ear.

In the middle of the third ring, she picked up. "Oh my gosh, James! Where are you? I was getting worried when you didn't show up after the livestream."

"Kelsey, I - I," I couldn't find the words to tell her.

"James?" She sounded really worried now. "Are you okay? Did someone get hurt?"

"No," _At least, not yet. _"It's just... I've been feeling more out of control with my life than ever before. There's so much conflict going on within my heart and somewhere in the midst of all that turmoil I realised - I realised I don't feel the same way about you anymore."

Kelsey gave a sharp gasp and a second later, there was a loud clatter as her phone slipped out of her hand. I flinched at the noise and Tom shot me a questioning glance. I wondered if I should end the call but I decided to wait.

Finally, I heard her voice again through the phone. "James?" She whispered hesitantly, as though unsure if I was still there.

"I'm so sorry," I murmured back. "Kelsey, I should have just come straight out and told you this morning, but -"

"No James," Kelsey cut me off firmly. "I understand. You don't love me anymore. I will always be there as a friend if you need me but for now, I think we just need to keep our distance from each other. I'll just leave early so you can stay at the hotel. Goodbye, James."

The click as she ended the call was almost enough to make me sob.

_What had I done?_

* * *

It was three days after Insomnia and I was staying at Tom's house, safe under his care,

Tom had persuaded me to stay with him after my break-up with Kelsey, because to be honest, I was a nervous wreck. I couldn't even talk about her without crying and the nightmares had returned more strongly than ever.

And now it wasn't just wordless screams.

I was hearing the voices of my friends too.

Sonja crying out in pain like she had been hurt. Tucker wailing in ultimate fear. And Tom sobbing, only to fall silent after a short scream of agony.

I hadn't told anyone that the nightmares were back. I didn't want to worry them, but it was clear that I was exhausted and could barely function. I woke up at about four every morning and just lay on the bed in the guest bedroom, staring up at the ceiling, too scared to go back to sleep and too nervous to wake up anyone else in the house to tell them about my restless night. I knew that Tom had said that I should wake him up immediately if the nightmares came back, but I didn't want to burden anyone else with my problems.

Though I feared how long it would be before I crumbled from the weight of the heavy secrets.

I crawled into my bed, pulling the soft sheets up over my head to try and block out all the chatter I could hear from elsewhere in the house. Tucker and Sonja were also staying with Tom for a little while before going back to America, and they would stay up all night, talking and laughing, and raiding Tom's beer supplies. Never once had I joined them in their festivities and really didn't want to either.

I heard soft footsteps outside of my door and they paused, as though their owner was deciding whether or not to come in. Then my door creaked opened and light from the hallway spilled into my room, illuminating the familiar figure of Tom. He came into the room and shut the door, sitting on the edge of my bed near my feet.

"I know you're still awake, James," Tom murmured, resting his hand on my shoulder. "Did you want to come down and join us?"

"No thank you," I whispered, wanting to be alone. Tom sighed but he didn't leave the room. Instead, he pulled the sheets away from my face and I opened my eyes, staring at him confusedly.

"I know your nightmares came back," Tom sounded sad. "Why didn't you tell me?"

I trembled under his gaze and closed my eyes again. I didn't want to explain myself to my friend. Tom waited for a few seconds before sighing again and lying down next to me.

"I want to help you but you just won't let me," Tom threw his arm across my shoulders and I tensed, unsure of whether or not to just stay silent or run out of my room, screaming at the top of my lungs. "Why won't you trust anyone enough to tell them what's wrong? Why won't you trust _me_?"

That hurt. Tom didn't think I trusted him; I suppose he was right. But I guess - I guess now was the best time to tell him.

"Tom, listen," I began nervously, scared of what he would think. "Remember when I first told you about my nightmares? Well, I didn't tell you everything. And I just wanted to say-"

Wait.

Was I having another hallucination?

The room was shaking and the lights flickered before going out completely and plunging us into darkness. I heard Tucker and Sonja screaming downstairs and Tom gasped, lurching unsteadily to his feet. The room was still shaking violently though and he lost his balance and fell. I heard a heavy _thunk_ and a short cry of pain, but I couldn't see anything. The lights flickered once and I saw Tom collapsing, holding the side of his head with bloodstained fingers.

"Tom!" I screamed, launching myself at him as he crumpled to the floor. The room finally stopped shaking and the lights sputtered back on to shine steadily, illuminating Tom, lying motionless on the floor with a deep cut on his head. There was blood splattered on the sharp corner of a cabinet beside the bed and I choked out a sob.

"Tom," I whispered, staring at the cut on Tom's head. It was deep, and dark scarlet blood was already trickling down the side of his face. His breathing was unsteady but my mind was so clouded up with panic that I didn't even think about calling for help. "Please, wake up. Please. I didn't even - I didn't even tell you that I - that I -"

"That I loved you."

"Please, Tom, you can't do this," I was crying now, tears streaming down my face as I cradled Tom's head in my lap. "You can't do this to me. You have to wake up." I sniffled and wiped my eyes, my hands now smeared with flecks of blood.

Tom couldn't be dying. He _couldn't_ be.

This was my nightmare. The earth shaking and the screaming. The darkness and the blood.

It was all real. My nightmare had forced itself into reality and wrapped itself around me. This was no longer my problem; no longer my burden to bear. It had affected everyone around me and sent absolute terror piercing through my heart.

And Tom was seriously injured because of it.

* * *

It was a week after the earthquake and I was still at Tom's house.

Tucker and Sonja had left earlier that day to catch their flight back home and Tom was recovering nicely, although he still had a soft cotton bandage wrapped around his head.

He didn't remember anything right before the earthquake and I hadn't told him about what I said to him while he was unconscious, only that Tucker had come upstairs to check if I was alright and saw me crying over Tom and in a state of shock. In fact, I had been traumatised after the incident and rarely left Tom's side, much to his confusion.

My nightmares had now changed to whirlwinds of angry voices mixing together as they yelled and screamed. Over the course of the last few nights, I had begun to realise that they were angry at me, and saying all sorts of horrible things about me. Every morning now, I woke up with tears in my eyes, trembling and terrified for the next time I would have to sleep.

I picked at the food on my plate, my appetite gone, even though the meal looked delicious. Tom didn't seem too hungry either and set his fork down after a few minutes.

"James, are you gonna tell me what's wrong or not?" Tom suddenly asked, breaking the silence. I jumped a little bit but shook my head, avoiding Tom's gaze. "Something is wrong, James. You have to tell me."

"Nothing's wrong," I whispered very unconvincingly. "Everything's perfectly alright."

"James," Tom narrowed his eyes and his voice took on a warning tone. "Don't lie to me. You haven't been the same ever since the earthquake. You're always glancing around like there's someone sneaking up on you and you barely ever let me out of your sight. You're obviously scared and you won't let me help you."

"There's nothing wrong!" I burst out, standing up too quickly and almost losing my balance. "I'm fine! Just leave me alone!"

Tom stared at me in shock and I felt tears welling up in my eyes. I turned and walked swiftly away, not daring to turn back, even when Tom called my name. I practically ran up the stairs to my room, making little whimpering noises with every step.

I had cracked under the combined pressure of keeping the secret from Tom and the fear-induced stress from the nightmares. I threw open the door to my room then slammed it closed before collapsing on the bed and burying my face in my arms as I sobbed. I couldn't deal with this. It was too much for me to handle.

My door quietly creaked open a few minutes later. I had stopped crying but my mind was still in a jumbled mess. Why could I not be stronger? Why was I breaking down so easily?

"James?"

_Go away. Please just go away._

"James, talk to me."

_I don't want to talk. I want to be alone._

"Come on, James, don't shut me out."

_Go away, go away, go away!_

"James Hayes, look at me!" I jerked my head up as Tom's voice rose to a yell and stared at him with terrified eyes. He was sitting next to me on my bed and wrapped his arms around me in a warm hug when he saw that I was looking at him. I melted into his embrace, closing my eyes and resting my head on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry for yelling at you, but I had to talk with you," Tom murmured sadly. "I hate to see you so upset. I just want to help. This is obviously too much for you to handle; you need to tell somebody about it."

"You wouldn't understand," I muttered, my voice sounding dull because I couldn't summon up the energy to be angry. "You wouldn't understand why I feel this way."

"Try me," Tom said simply. I decided that this had to be my only chance. If it went poorly though, I knew I may never be able to feel happy again.

"When I told you about my nightmares, I didn't tell you everything. I didn't tell how much you meant to me. And - and not just as a friend. But as something m-more," _Curse my stutter._ "And - and I wasn't sure how to tell you. S-so I guess it's okay if you h-hate me now." No. It would not be okay if he hated me, but I had to say something.

"I would never hate you," Tom sounded almost... surprised? "In fact, I was planning on telling you that - well - I feel the same way."

"Really?" I whispered, shocked. "You really mean that?"

"Why wouldn't I?" Tom asked softly. "Have I ever given you any reason to doubt me?"

I shook my head, realising that he hadn't. Then joy filled my heart as his words really sunk in.

Tom loved me back.

"I love you James," Tom breathed, smiling gently. "And I want you to be happy."

"Trust me; I am," I breathed, also smiling. "And I love you too."

**SuchCuteOMG, anyone? ;)**

**Well, I hope you enjoyed this ridiculously long one-shot! If you did, I would love your feedback because this was a different style of writing for me and want to know if people want me to do more in this style.**

**See ya!**

**-Ender**


	9. Season Two Rant

**Thirty minutes worth of rant condensed into less than a thousand words.**

**You're welcome.**

First off, I'm still mad about Twisted and User being kicked.

From my understanding, it could have been worked out in a civilized manner. But _no._ Instead, they had all their hard work torn away from them because of a stupid disagreement.

But since I've already been on rants about that, I won't go into that now. What this is supposed to be about is the storyline of Season Two.

I understand the fact that Blockworks is putting in quite a bit of effort for this storyline. But I think they're also going about it the wrong way. For starters: mods and items. They keep giving out items that are just way too overpowered and there's not enough balance between everyone. For mods, well, I can quote Syndicate's exact words on his opinion of mods to be added – _"…We could add a small mod, no f*cking like factories or quarries, I don't want any of that sh*t or crap. ... If you threw like Feed the Beast in there straight away, it's like a mind-boggle: it's disgusting. If we could just add little things over time…"_

There you go. You heard it from the man himself. _Nothing huge._ I agree, there are some small mods that could have been added to enhance the gameplay enough to where it would be interesting – but not overwhelming. Sh*t, if I had wanted a modded survival, there are thousands out there. Why do something everyone does anyway? Which brings up another point: this storyline is making me feel like the streamers are just playing an adventure map, not their own series. They aren't 'included' in the storyline. Sure, they partake in the quests and whatnot, but rarely do the storyline characters interact personally with the streamers. Who remembers shipping Captain Sparklez and Captain Capsize in Season One? Who remembers how the pirates would sometimes bring up things the streamers had been saying in their streams because they were listening in the teamspeak? Does anyone see much of that in Season Two? (Before anyone brings up shipping Waglington and Martha the Mystic, just hush. I'm trying to make a point here and I'm talking about the main storyline, not side characters interacting the main team.)

Also, there's just _too much._ Not only in content of mods, but also context of storyline. Blockworks is trying to add story while still filling in the backstory of the main storyline (Who killed Dianite and can we restore the god). Characters continue to be introduced. Quests for current times continue to happen. Visits to places long gone and books with 20+ pages are made to fill in _all_ of the backstory. _Everyone's_ backstory. Not just Mianite anymore, but the AU characters of the main streamers. There's. Too. _Much._ It needs to be kept simpler, because I'm severely getting lost trying to memorise everything and keep it all straight – and that's important to me, because as a writer, if I have a fandom I want to know as much as possible about it.

It was easier in the first season. Oh, and why couldn't Blockworks have taken inspiration from the simplicity of _that_ instead of every adventure map ever made? (Not hating on Blockworks, again they're trying hard with this, but this is my rant.) Twisted and User – the main storyline writers from Season One – were of course setting a basis for everything. They could have gone any which way to set the principle because it was the basis; the foundation, as it were, for what would have been a growing community for many months. But that's exactly the point: _They were setting a base._ Blockworks seems to have ignored that completely.

If you're building something, you put the foundation down first. Everyone knows that. After that, you build the frame of the house and fill in the gaps between the boards to create solid walls. That's what could have – _should_ have happened.

Because everyone knows you don't put in a foundation, then flippin' tear it up and build a dark, confusing, cave system beneath it. That's just _not_ how you build something.

But that's what's happening.

I'm sorry.


	10. VENT

**NOTE: I do ****not**** own Minecraft, Mianite, any YouTubers mentioned, and really, I don't own anything except this story.**

**WARNING: This is a vent. If you don't know what happened, I suggest you go to TheTwistedGuy's twitter. Why anyone would do something like this is just... I'm sorry, but that was going too far.**

Heart and soul, time and effort. Late nights, tired mornings, just you and your friend working your asses off to get a project done for the people you cared about.

Forcefully thanked.

Barely recognised.

You still considered it worth it. After all, you enjoyed doing it didn't you?

You and your friend burned through so many glasses of energy drinks, staying up late to finish this. Discussing how everything would plan out, discussing what should happen if something went wrong. So much effort, so much time.

You needed help. You were ignoring food, friends, family - all of that was deemed unimportant _just as long as you get this done._

The you got the news.

"Your time is no longer needed for Mianite Season Two."

You were heartbroken. What had we done? Was it something that you did wrong? But... we tried to make it the best that it could be. The fans seemed to love it and the players seemed to be happy. You had known that some people cried at the tragic events and were passionately moved by others.

So why were you kicked?

You asked him and he said that it was your fault; that you ultimately screwed you and your friend when you tweeted out asking the fans if there was anything they wanted to see in Mianite Season Two. You argued that it was unfair. He snapped that it was your own fault and that there was nothing else you could do.

That crushed you.

You tried to apologise to your friend but he sadly shook his head and said he didn't blame you. 'If they cared about us that little, then we don't need to listen to them,' he said, trying to attempt that cheerful smile that always brought a grin to your face.

But it failed.

You were both depressed for the next few months. Your friend got better but you didn't. You still missed it. That had been so hard to work on and so satisfying when it was done. Now it had been nothing.

You had been thrown away like a piece of rubbish. Just an item that had been used when you were needed but once you weren't, cast away out the window.

The fall hurt.

You cried, you screamed, you punched the wall until a crack spread out from the plaster and your knuckles were bleeding. Why, why, _why?_

All your effort was wasted now.

Was it worth it?

All of it?

You thought you could do it. You were on top of the world for a few months there.

Then... then _he _pulled you down.

Replaced.

So...

_Easily_...

Like you were worth nothing. You were hurt.

And he _laughed_.

_Laughed_ at the tears.

_Laughed_ at the screams.

_Laughed_ at the pain.

_Laughed._

It sickened you.

How someone could be so cruel and heartless... you hated that.

More tears. More screams. More pain.

Trash.

You told them and _he_ got mad at you again. Hadn't he already hurt you enough? This time, you weren't keeping anything back. You told him; you told _all_ of them the pain and the heartbreak you had gone through.

Only to get hate.

You tried to ignore it, but words kept ringing through your head.

_Trash._

_Rejected._

_Laughable._

Oh, so your tears were _laughable_ now?

Well try this on for size.

You put your heart and soul into your work.

You were never told what you could or could not do.

You were no longer allowed to work on it because you did something you didn't know you couldn't do.

You went through _months_ of pain without telling _anyone_.

And now that you've finally told someone...

They _laugh_.

Yeah.

Real funny.

_Why?_


	11. Little Magic

**Hey y'all, it's Ender! I hope you're having a great day and I hope to make it even better with this new one-shot! NOTE: I do ****not**** own Minecraft, Mianite, any YouTubers mentioned, and really, I don't own anything except this story.**

_Little Magic_

I jumped as I heard a loud bang from outside, accompanied by a bright flash of purple light and a pained scream. I mentally groaned, abandoning the perch I was making for my owl pet, and rushed outside, knowing to immediately go up to the mountain where Wag lived. It sounded like one of his spells had backfired again, and judging by the scream, the result wouldn't have been pleasant.

In fact, now that I was thinking more about it, I was worried for Wag. I had never heard him scream like that before; so full of agony and pain. Now fueled by a new urgency, I rushed up to the doorway of his newly-built tower, courtesy of Farmer Steve, and hopped onto his elevator after finding nothing on the main floor.

It was on the third floor that I found Wag - lying on the ground and twitching slightly. But that's not what caught my attention.

It was the fact that Wag... wasn't Wag anymore.

He was a little child - probably no more than five years old - and was nearly covered by the robe that his adult form usually wore. His skin was very pale and he had ruffled dark brown hair that trailed to his shoulders.

"Wag?" I whispered, unsure of what to do with the unconscious child in front of me. Wag whimpered, twitching again, and I felt pity strike my heart. Poor Wag must have been in a lot of pain after the spell.

I gently picked him up, and after realising that he was buck naked, wrapped his purple-grey cloak around him. I couldn't leave Wag here alone; not in this state. No doubt he would be pissed at me after he woke up, but for now I was going to take him to my house. Maybe I could ask Martha to make some clothes for him too.

My eyes widened. Oh crap. How was I even going to tell the others that our powerful wizardly friend had been turned into a five year-old? That was something I hadn't thought about.

Oh, and something else I hadn't considered. How were we going to change Wag back? The other wizards didn't live that far away, but taking Wag through the Taint would be dangerous. He couldn't wear armour like this and the Taint Swarms would kill him instantly.

I frowned and adjusted Wag so that his head was resting on my shoulder. He sighed, still unconscious, and snuggled up against my hoodie. I couldn't resist a smile. I would love teasing him about this once he was back to normal.

I made my way slowly out of Wag's house, picking my way down the mountain with the utmost caution for fear of waking Wag up. I held him tightly against me so he wouldn't fall and get hurt on the sharp stones.

_Why am I being so protective of him?_ I mentally scolded myself. It's not like I was his mother or anything.

_Though it would be nice having someone else to look after for a little while..._

"Hey Sonja!" I started when I heard Tucker shouting at me from a distance and looked up to see him flying towards me, his rapier in hand. He landed in front of me and was about to say something, but abruptly stopped when he saw Wag in my arms with his cloak wrapped around him like a blanket.

"Who is that?" Tucker asked curiously, pointing at Wag.

"That's Waglington," I answered, trying to sound as casual as possible.

"Haha, no seriously," Tucker stared at me. "Who is that?"

"It's Waglington," I said again, shifting slightly on my feet as Wag stirred a bit. He actually wasn't that heavy, even though he would probably be about as high as my waist if he was standing up.

"You - how - what?" Tucker stuttered, eyes flicking back and forth from me to the child in my arms. "How is that possible?"

"A spell backfired, I guess," I would have shrugged then if Wag's head hadn't still been lying on my shoulder. "Say Tucker, could you go get the others? And if you can, round up the - ah - adult wizards too. We need to have a discussion over what to do about this."

"Yeah. Yeah, sure," Tucker agreed, though he still appeared distracted by Wag's new form. "What are you going to with Wag while he's... you know... like this?"

"Take care of him, I guess," I smirked slightly. "It'll be good practice if we ever have a child together."

"Let's not get too ahead of ourselves now!" Tucker backed up hurriedly and I snorted with amusement at his suddenly awkward expression. "I'll be back soon with the others. Maybe in about an hour." Tucker wasted no time in jumping into the air, using his blood sigil to fly away.

I stared after him for a few seconds with a smile playing on my lips, before turning back to my house. I tapped gently on my door and it spiraled into nothing, the rainbow crystals disappearing for me to walk through with Wag.

I made my way down to the basement and went over to my bed, laying Wag down on the mattress and wrapping him up within the sheets. He looked so peaceful lying in the bed and I smiled, brushing a stray tuft of hair out of his face.

Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.

* * *

"I'm cold!" I stared down at Wag, who had woken up by now and was standing in the doorway, glaring up at me. Now that his eyes were open, I could see that the irises were a bright blood red colour - it was almost scary except for the fact that they belonged to a five year-old who had apparently abandoned his oversized robe.

"Well, I don't have any clothes for you right now," I explained gently. "If you want, you can wear one of my spare T-shirts for now. It should fit."

"Fine," Wag huffed in an amusingly high-pitched voice, watching me with narrowed eyes as I walked over to my clothes chest and dug out a fresh white T-shirt. I went over to Wag and pulled it over his head, despite his child-like protests.

"Is that better?" I asked him, snickering with amusement as he fidgeted with my shirt, pulling the hem so that it was low enough to brush his knees.

"I guess so," Wag grumbled. I was discouraged by his negative response but I had to remind myself that he was still a child, and probably had a child's mind.

Thankfully, I was saved by the bell - literally, the doorbell rang. Wag cried out in delight and raced towards the door, skidding to a halt when Steve and Martha arrived together, walking through the door hand-in-hand. They both froze when they saw Wag and had the most confused stare-off that I had ever witnessed.

"Hi," I greeted, coming over and standing behind Wag. I had been right in guessing that he was only as tall as my waist.

"I'm guessing that he's who we're here for?" Steve growled, jabbing a finger at Wag. I bit my lip, forcing myself not to argue with the farmer. He and Wag had always been at each other's throats, especially after Martha had announced her engagement to Steve.

"That would be correct," I responded, picking Wag up with a slight grunt of effort. "This little bugger known as Waglington made a mistake on one of his spells and, well, you can clearly see the result."

"Oh my," Martha stared worriedly at Wag. "Waglington? Dear? Do you still know us?"

"Nuh uh," Wag shook his head violently. "Who are you?"

Martha gave a concerned glance at Steve, who stared at her blankly in return. "My name is Martha, and this my husband-to-be, Steve."

Wag regarded Steve with a highly critical eye for a few seconds, as though sizing him up. "He smells like cow poop," Wag finally concluded, making me burst out in laughter and even Martha crack an amused smile. Steve, however, looked far from amused and snarled at Wag.

Then we were all surprised when Wag sniffled and started to cry, seemingly scared of Steve's anger.

"Oh no, shh, it's okay," I soothed, hugging Wag gently. I glared at Steve, who looked completely at a loss to do about this whole situation, before going back to comforting Wag. "It's alright Wag, just calm down. Steve didn't mean to scare you."

Steve muttered something under his breath and Martha glared at him as well, hissing something unheard. I really couldn't care less about the couple's disagreement at the moment; I was just trying to get Wag to calm down. He was sobbing harder than ever and to be honest, I was getting a bit annoyed. Not with him, of course. Just with Steve for making him cry like this.

"Let me, dear," Martha reached out her arms and I hesitated before handing Wag over to her. She appeared much more experienced than I, and within just a few minutes, she had Wag laughing giddily with delight as she tickled him. "Works like a charm every time," Martha's eyes shone brightly with a youth that I had never seen in her before.

"Wailing wretch," Steve muttered, too quietly for Wag and Martha to overhear, but it was loud enough for me to catch. I snarled silently as Steve turned his back on us and stalked over to the stairs leading down to my basement where our little meeting was to be held. Honestly, I couldn't understand what Martha saw in him. Although he was hard-working and clever, he was often bitter and vengeful. Martha had in fact confided in me before that Steve sometimes hit her when he was in one of his more furious moods.

It wasn't long before the others arrived. I had taken Wag upstairs and told him to stay put for now. He had, of course, immediately complained of being thirsty, and knowing his passion for tea, gave him a small glass of drink. It seemed to content him, at least for the moment, and I made a mental note that when it came to Wag, tea solved everything.

Right now, we were all gathered at the meeting table in my basement. It was made of purple wood, much to Steve's disgust. I was sitting at the head of the table, with Tucker, Tom, Steve, and Phil to my right, and Jordan, Matt, the other Tom who was more commonly known as Killer, and Martha to my left. There was an empty chair at the opposite end of the table from me; the place where Wag would usually sit.

"Well guys," I began, the quiet conversations between the others quickly dying off. "I'm sure most of you know why we're here. Tucker, you told them, right?"

"Um... no."

"Well that's just great," I sighed. "So three of you know why we're here. And the fact of the matter is, our wizard friend Waglington has messed up. Big time - or rather, little time. You see, somehow he managed to transform into a five year-old version of himself."

Silence. You could have heard a pin drop.

"You have got to be joking," Jordan stared at me disbelievingly. "Where is he?"

"Upstairs. I'll be right back," I promised, getting up from my chair and rushing up the stairs all the way up to the highest level. Wag was absentmindedly messing around with my typewriter and appeared to have created the most unintelligible page of print that I had ever seen. "Come on, Wag. There are some more people that would like to meet you."

"Don't wanna," Wag stared at the arm on the typewriter, repeatedly pressing the 'f' key and watching it spring up to print the letter on the paper. "Sonja, how does this thing work?"

"Magic," I replied simply, scooping Wag up and away from the typewriter. He protested most vigorously but I ignored him, carrying him downstairs to where the other were still waiting.

Silence once again descended over the room as everyone turned to look at me and Wag, who was still dressed in my too-large T-shirt and leaning his head against my shoulder.

"That's Wag?" Tom choked out, staring at the wizard child with wide, uncomprehending eyes. "Like, our Wag?"

"Afraid so," I smiled, sitting down again. Wag slipped down to sit on my lap and put his hands on the table, staring at everyone curiously. "Wag, do you recognise any of these people asides from Steve and Martha?"

"Uh huh."

"Who?"

"Matt," Wag pointed at the armoured wizard, eyes narrowed in concentration. "Phil, an' Killer," Wag's finger strayed to the last two wizards. "I don't know anyone else." Wag turned to look at me, his expression one of severe worry. "Should I?"

"No, no, it's alright," I reassured him. _So he remembers the wizards... interesting._

"I met you earlier, before you woke up," Tucker piped up. He was a little less shocked than the others, mainly because he had had more time to get used to Wag like this. "My name is Tucker."

"I'm Jordan," Jordan grinned as Wag giggled a bit at his introduction.

"I like your sunglasses," the wizard child told Jordan. Jordan blinked and adjusted his bright red glasses.

"And I'm Mecha Dianite!" Tom laughed excitedly, ignoring me as I glared at him.

"No, he's Tom," Tucker explained, sounding greatly amused. "He likes to go around calling himself that but he's really just Tom."

"I am both," Tom leaned back in his chair. "I am everyone and everything." His body suddenly turned black and I stifled a cry of disgust when I heard bones cracking and shifting under his skin as he morphed into something different. Wag whimpered and buried his face in my chest. I hugged him tightly, feeling him tremble out of fright.

Then Tom's new form solidified into a chicken. He ran quickly across the table towards me and Wag, flapping his wings quickly to increase his pace.

"Look, Wag!" I encouraged the wizard to look up as Tom clucked cheerfully. Wag turned his head around and his eyes immediately lit up when he saw Tom.

"Chicken!" He cried excitedly, reaching out and stroking Tom's silky white feathers. Tucker opened his mouth to say something that would most likely be not kid-friendly, but I glared at him and he shut his mouth quickly.

"Alright Tom, you can go change back now," I ordered the chicken in front of me. Tom squawked in chicken-y protest but obediently went back to the other side of the table to morph back to normal. This time, I had the sense to avert Wag's eyes early and turned him away as Tom went through the sickening process of morphing back.

"Well, what do we do with it?" Steve asked harshly once Tom was back to normal, staring around as though demanding an answer.

"Don't you dare call Wag an 'it'," Killer immediately jumped to Wag's defense, much to my surprise. "Wag's still a person too."

"He's useless to us now," Steve growled. "We should just leave him to die in the Taint somewhere."

"How dare you!" Jordan cried, glaring at Steve. "Wag's our friend! We can't just abandon him!"

"Friend, eh? You do know he was flirting with Martha... after she accepted my proposal," Steve glared angrily at Wag and thinking quickly, I shooed Wag off to go play with my owl before Steve said something that would make him cry again. "And how many times has he hurt you with that star of death? Sent you to the Nether? Do you think those were all just accidents and jokes?" Steve stared around triumphantly when no one was able to answer him. "What would be the point of transforming him back? A waste of energy and resources just to bring back one of the most dangerous forces in the world. And," Steve lowered his voice, "we all know that Wag was the one who killed our Dianite."

"So what?" I snapped. "At least he never abused his fiance when he got angry at something."

Steve's eyes widened and he stared at me, frozen out of shock. Everyone else's eyes were filled with horror, including Martha's, but I didn't regret what I had just said. It was time for them to know what only Martha and I knew about Steve.

Steve slowly rose out of his chair and stalked over to me. "Never speak that way to me again, woman," he growled angrily. Tucker swiftly got up but before he could move anywhere else, Steve had slapped me across my face.

I gasped, more out of surprise than pain, and all of a sudden, Tucker had Steve pinned on the ground with his arm behind his back.

"Don't you dare touch her ever again!" Tucker howled, twisting Steve's arm back even farther as the farmer tried to struggle free. Steve cried out in pain, but couldn't move away.

"Tucker," Phil broke in quietly. "Let us take him. We can make sure he will never hurt anyone again. We won't kill him," Phil hurriedly promised when he saw Martha's terrified expression. "We can just - well - do wizard stuff."

"Yes," Matt agreed. "And don't worry, Sonja. I'll be working on finding a cure for Wag's little problem myself."

"Thank you," I breathed, my cheek still stinging from where Steve had hit me. Steve glared at me, his eyes dark with hate, but yelped again as Tucker gave his arm one last sharp twist before getting up. Phil and Killer made their way over to Steve as he tried to push himself to his feet and grabbed his shoulders tightly, making sure he couldn't escape.

"Good day, Ms. Firefoxx," Phil nodded to me before he and Killer teleported away, taking Steve along with them to who-knows-where.

"Are you okay?" Tucker was beside me now, staring at me worriedly as he brushed a strand of hair away from my face. I smiled slightly at his concern and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

"I'm fine," I reassured him. "It barely even hurt. It just shocked me more than anything that Steve would do that out in the open in front of everybody."

"Sonja?" I turned around when I heard Wag's small voice. I just couldn't get used to how much it had changed - it used to be deep and powerful and commanding, and now it was just like any young boy's voice - timid and lighter and not at all threatening. "Sonja, what happened? Where did Steve go?"

"Steve is just on a quick leave of absence," Tom muttered bitterly. Wag tipped his head to the side questioningly, clearly not understanding the complicated words. "It means he's gone for now."

"Oh," Wag said. He thought for a moment then decidedly said "I didn't like him anyway."

"You wouldn't have," Jordan smirked, most likely remembering all the violent spats between the farmer and the wizard before this certain incident. "When you weren't - well - a child, you were always at each other's throats. I swear, you would have killed each other several times over by now."

"What do you mean?" Wag asked fearfully, trembling slightly. "I don't want to kill anyone!"

"Jordan," I reprimanded my friend, "He doesn't remember his life before this. Don't traumatise him."

"Will he remember when he goes back?" Tom wondered aloud. I turned to answer him, but couldn't find anything to say. The truth was, I didn't know if his adult memory would return when we reversed the spell.

And that scared me.

* * *

"How does a toaster work?"

"Magic."

"How does a pen work?"

"Magic."

"What is this?"

I glanced over at Wag, who staring at one of the magical lights outside my house with wide eyes. "Magic," I replied simply, grinning a bit as I remembered how the adult Wag had lit up the land around us with those magical lights. I was outside with him right now, collecting ripe red apples from the tree in front of my house.

"Is _everything_ magic?" Wag stared at me, and when I nodded, his jaw dropped. "No way! That's so cool!" He started running around my yard, going up to all the flowers. "So this flower is magic? And this one? And this one?"

"Yes, yes, and yes," I replied patiently, wobbling a bit on my ladder as I strained to reach a particularly juicy looking apple. "If you think about, even we're magic. I mean, look at us. How do we walk? Talk? Do the things we do on a daily basis? It's magic."

"So who makes all the magic?" Wag asked curiously, going over to my ladder and reaching up with one hand. I gave him the apple I had finally gotten and he took a big bite out of it, chewing slowly as he awaited my answer.

"I dunno. One of the gods I guess," I shrugged mildly, coming down from the ladder after seeing that I had picked all the apples in reach. At Wag's confused glance I started to explain, "Mianite's the god of the Overworld, which is this realm. Tucker and I follow him, even though he's been doing... questionable things as of late. Dianite is the god of the Nether and he was killed before we came to this realm..." I felt my throat grow dry as Steve's words echoed in my head - _"We all know that Wag was the one who killed our Dianite" -_ and swallowed quickly before Wag could notice that something was wrong. "He's been talking to us in spirit form but we've never seen him since he doesn't have a body. He's kind of good... for now. I don't know if he's just acting that way because he can't interact with anything yet and if he's going to turn evil once he has a form or what. Now Ianite is the goddess of peace and balance and so forth. Personally, I think she's a bit of a wimp." Wag snickered and I cracked a grin. "Then there's Martha."

"But Martha isn't a goddess!" Wag protested innocently.

"Of course she is," I picked up the wicker basket filled with apples and glanced down at Wag. "She's just a minor goddess right now though. She has but one follower and they rely on each other for practically everything."

"Is it Steve?" Wag wrinkled his nose in disgust.

"No, it's someone else," I grinned but didn't tell him who. Of course, it was Wag who was her follower, but I didn't want to make him even more confused.

"Oh," Wag said, following me inside as I deposited the basket of apples near the door. "Who do the wizards follow?"

"No one," I responded, ruffling his hair affectionately. He grumbled and tried to duck away from me, going over to my trash can and tossing his apple core away. "The wizards belong to themselves and no one else. Their combined powers are more than a god's normal power anyway."

"Wow," Wag breathed, trailing after me as I tossed a bit of chicken in the furnace for our dinner in a few hours. "I want to be a wizard one day."

"I'm sure you will be," I told him, smiling widely on the inside. Little did he know that he actually was a wizard and his powers were buried deep inside him. "I'm sure that one day you'll be able to cast powerful and mighty spells so that all will bow down to your will."

"And I will be Waglington!" Wag crowed gleefully, climbing up on top of my crafting station and standing proudly. "The mighty wizard of Ruxomar!"

"Exactly," I chuckled, picking him up and sweeping him off of the crafting station. "But for now, it's naptime for this mighty wizard."

Wag pouted - something that seemed extremely adorable to me - and crossed his arms. "But I'm not tired," he argued, glaring at me as I tried to pick him up so I could take him downstairs to my bed again.

"I feel sure you're not," I stared down at Wag with a critical eye as he attempted to stifle a yawn. "You're not sleepy in the least little bit. Nope, you sure wouldn't want to snuggle up in some nice soft blankets and just close your eyes. You wouldn't ever dream about going into the warm depths of sleep and floating away to a peaceful dreamland. No, you sure wouldn't want that."

Wag was yawning uncontrollably now and I noted with pleasure that his eyes were indeed drooping. Trick successful. I picked him up and this time he didn't argue, only went limp in my arms and snuggled up to my chest. I smiled gently and took him down to my basement, laying him down on my bed and tucking him in. "There you go," I whispered, feeling warm affection bloom in my heart as Wag closed his eyes. "Sleep well, little wizard."

* * *

I was just taking the chicken out of my oven when I heard a soft knocking at the door. I quickly set the chicken on the counter to cool and rushed to open the door, finding Martha's friendly face behind it. She was holding a fairly large package that was wrapped in brown paper and tied up with a bit of red string.

"Hello, dear," Martha sounded unusually tired and strained, but her eyes were bright with delight. "I just finished making some clothes for Wag that would be his size."

"Thank you so much!" I hugged Martha, and she returned it as best she could whilst still holding the package. "I'm sure he's going to love them! He certainly doesn't like wearing my T-shirts all the time."

"He'd better," Martha said jokingly. "I was up all night making them. At least it took my mind off of," Martha suddenly lowered her voice to a whisper and I had to strain to hear her. "Off of Steve."

"I'm really sorry about that, Martha," I began, but Martha cut me off.

"Don't worry about it, dear. I was honestly tired of him treating me the way he did. But now, with him gone and Wag like this, I don't really have any close source of comfort," Martha sighed and handed me the package. "Anyway, dear, I wish you the best of luck with Wag. Normal children are hard enough to handle. I can't imagine what wizard children must be like."

"At least there's a simple answer for everything - magic," I grinned and Martha chuckled, knowing that when it came to wizards, that was literally the answer for everything. "Of course, tea works pretty well too."

"I would imagine," Martha grinned. "Anyways, have a good day, Sonja. I'm off to assist Lady Ianite with something."

"Have a good day!" I waved as Martha left my house, then glanced down at the package still in my arms. Time to see what she had made for Wag.

I went over into my living area, saying a quick hello to Boris, before setting the package down on the floor and tearing open the paper. Inside, there were several pairs of dark shirts and pants, all neatly folded up. I smiled slightly, feeling a wave of affection towards Martha that she would take the time to make these.

"Sonja?" I looked up as I heard Wag and saw him coming up the stairs, rubbing his eyes blearily. "I'm hungry."

"Put some real clothes on and then we'll have supper," I told him, pulling out a pair of black jeans and a dark red shirt. "Martha made these for you last night so you don't have to keep wearing my T-shirts."

"Okay," Wag grabbed the clothes from my hands and headed back downstairs. I desperately hoped Martha had undergarments covered too. Apparently she did because I heard no complaints from Wag. I went over to my kitchen, carved off a leg of chicken for Wag and the other one for myself. Hopefully he would have forgotten his strong hatred for eating chicken and wouldn't get traumatised later after he found out he "ate Kevin."

Hopefully.

"Wag! Come on! Food's ready!" I called and Wag came running over to the kitchen, practically jumping into one of the chairs. I grinned and set our plates down on the table before sitting down myself. Wag didn't hesitate to start wolfing down his chicken, as did I, and before long, we were done with our meal. I took our plates to my sink and set them down to be washed for later.

"Sonja?" Wag asked, coming over to me and staring up at me expectantly. "I'm bored. Can we do something?"

"If you want, we can go and see what Tucker's doing," I suggested, and Wag nodded agreeably. "I think he said he was going to work on some blood mage stuff today. It would be interesting for you to see how that works."

"Blood mage?"

"A wizard who dabbles in sacrificial rituals."

"What's 'sack-rah-fish-l'?"

"You'll see."

Wag frowned but followed me willingly as I left my house, quickly grabbing my sword on the way. I didn't know if I would have to fight anything or not, but it was better to be safe in this world. You never knew when a stray monster would appear.

On the way to Tucker's house, we encountered no monsters, although I did have to call Wag back from time to time when he darted off to explore the cliffs. He was always reluctant to leave his exploration but I was insistent that he did not risk his life to be adventurous. It was a long tumble into the sea below and since he couldn't fly anymore, it was almost certain that he would be killed.

Once inside Tucker's gate, we saw him standing at his blood altar, eyes closed, sleeves rolled up, and chanting something to the sky. He was holding his sacrificial dagger in one hand and a pure white bird in the other. The bird was squawking madly, flapping about hopelessly as it was dangled by its feet. I felt myself grow sick to my stomach but couldn't tear my gaze away as Tucker pinned the bird against his blood-filled altar, staining the white feathers a horrible scarlet shade, and stabbed the bird through its heart. The bird's raucous cries abruptly stopped and Tucker muttered a few more words before slicing a few cuts across his own arms. The altar began to glow as Tucker's fresh blood mixed with the bird's and I had just enough time to hurriedly shield Wag's eyes before there was a silent explosion of light. When it faded, both the bird and the cuts Tucker had made on his arm were gone and there was a thick sigil sitting in what little blood was left in the altar. Tucker grinned and plucked it out of the altar, grabbing a red-splotched rag from his pocket and wiping it off. He glanced to the side and his grin suddenly fell from his face when he saw Wag and I staring at him in abject horror.

"Oh," Tucker swallowed. "I'm sorry you had to see that. Usually - usually I prefer to do this in private. I was just making a better flight sigil. Honestly, I would have stopped if had known you were here."

"That's alright," I swallowed down my disgust and looked down at Wag. He was clinging to my leg, shooting terrified glances at Tucker. "Wag? Are you okay?"

"Is that a 'sack-rah-fish-l'?" Wag whimpered. I couldn't resist a small snort of laughter and I picked him up, feeling him tremble with fright.

"Yes, that is what is known as a 'sacrifice'. Don't worry, Tucker's not going to hurt you," I gave a nasty glare to Tucker and he quickly set his dagger down. "That's what a blood mage does to gain more power. He has to kill things - usually animals - and uses their blood to create certain spells that give him magical abilities."

"That specific spell just needed some of my own blood to bind it to me. But yes, it's okay Wag. I would never dream of hurting you," Tucker soothed and Wag slowly stopped trembling. "Besides, everything gets all healed up afterwards. See?" Tucker presented his arms, which, pale as they were, had no scars marked anywhere on them. "It's magic!"

"I wanna do magic!" Wag complained. "I don't wanna kill things though."

"You don't have to," I reassured him. "There's other types of magic other than blood magic. There's the magic that you have to use a Thaumonomicon for - that's a book of magic that is ridiculously hard to pronounce - there's Witchery which is really complicated - no pun intended - and there's Ars Magica. You would like Ars Magica I think."

"Ars Magica?" Wag said and I winced at his British accent. It eliminated the 'r' from the word and I didn't want him unintentionally picking language that he shouldn't know as a five year-old.

"Watch the 'r'," Tucker told him. "And yes, Ars Magica. You can make any spells you want with it - light spells, digging spells, and the almighty star of death. You can make spells for faster speed, stronger attacks, and better vision."

"Ooh!" Wag smiled gleefully. "Can I start doing Ars Magica now?"

"In a few years," I promised. "You're too young right now. You wouldn't be able to control your magical power. But don't worry. Soon you'll be strong enough that if you wanted to, you could eliminate the entire Taint!"

"What's the Taint?" Wag asked curiously.

"Evil. It's just beyond my house and you must never go there," I told him sternly. "The wizards live just past it, and even with their powers, they rarely venture through the Taint to visit us."

"Oh," Wag blinked, but even I couldn't miss the flash of defiance in his eyes. I swallowed down a acrid taste that was rising in my mouth.

Something bad was going to come from this.

I was sure of it.

* * *

"Wag!" I screamed, desperately rushing around my house. "Wag, where are you?" I was positively panicked; I couldn't find the little wizard anywhere. I had only gone downstairs to the spa to tend to the plants; but he was gone when I had come back upstairs. Upon closer inspection, I also noticed my old rapier had gone missing and I felt my throat close up - it was light enough for Wag to hold.

I quickly grabbed my little telecommunication device and pressed the button that would call up the other heroes. "Hello?" Jordan's voice crackled through the speakers, barely understandable through the thick static. The static quickly cleared up and I could hear Jordan start to speak again. "Sonja? What's up?"

"Wag's gone missing!" I burst out, unable to wait until I was sure that both Tucker and Tom were in the call. But from the three surprised exclamations on the other end, I knew that everyone had heard me. "I can't find him anywhere!"

"Okay, Sonj, calm down," Tom's steady voice came through the communicator. "Where and when did you see him last?"

"Five minutes ago. He was in the living room," I took a deep breath, trying to ease my frantic state of my mind. "He also took my old rapier - like he was planning to fight something."

"What would he have wanted to fight?"

Suddenly it dawned on me. The flash of rebellion in his eyes when I mentioned the Taint. His determination to meet the wizards. His desire for adventure.

He was going through the Taint.

"Sonja? Sonja, are you still there?" Tucker's worried voice interrupted my thoughts. I swallowed and nodded before remembering that he couldn't see me.

"Yes. I know where Wag has gone," this was met by an excited murmur from someone, though I couldn't tell who. "He's ventured into the Taint."

"The _Taint__?_" I winced at Jordan's screech and almost dropped the telecommunicator. "What in Dianite's name did he go there for?"

"To find the wizards, I think. And because I told him not to," I admitted. I heard angry grumblings from the others and continued quickly, "But if we don't get to him soon, he could be killed by the Taint swarms and the Tainticles."

"We have to hurry then," Tucker urged. "We can't let Wag be killed because of his own stupidity."

"Go and search the Taint then. Tom, why don't you go around to the wizards' place and start from there? Maybe get Matt to help you with the search. Jordan, go through the Taint starting at your house and Tucker, come around and search from the other side. I'll start searching near my home." I paused for a second before adding, "I just desperately hope we won't be too late."

I ended the call and tucked the telecommunicator into the pocket on my jacket in case one of my friends found Wag and needed to contact me. I was still severely worried, but at least I wasn't completely freaking out anymore. Wag was smart... he knew when to back out of danger.

_"Come and get me, suckers!"_

Well... maybe not.

I sighed and headed out, jogging until I reached the small river that separated my house from the lands of the Taint. Then I dove into the current and swam strongly across to the other side, being careful not to accidentally stab myself with my rapier. I came out on the purple-stained ground and immediately took off running, gaze darting from side to side looking for Wag.

It wasn't long before I spotted the cloud of Taint...

And the young boy huddled limply in the center of their whirlwind.

"Wag!" I cried, charging forwards at the Taint swarm. They scattered as I swung at them with my rapier, killing quite a few in the process and driving the rest away.

"Wag?" I gasped, looking down at the little wizard curled up at my feet. His face was set in an expression of intense pain and he was covered in horrible dark purple stings. He was dotted with his own blood and he shuddered, coughing weakly. My old rapier lay next to him and it was rotting, corrupted by the Taint poison.

"Just hold on Wag," I swallowed and picked him up, cradling him in my arms. He was trembling badly and coughed again, sounding horribly ill. I quickly grabbed my telecommunicator and turned it on.

"I found him," I said into the device and ignored the cries of relief from the others. "But it doesn't look good. Tom, get the wizards. We need their help."

"Will do," Tom promised, sounding tight and strained. "Sonja...? How bad is it - exactly?"

I hesitated before answering, "Bad enough that if he doesn't get help soon, he could die."

There was silence on the other ends. "I'm in their village now," Tom said shortly, and left the call. Tucker and Jordan followed soon after and I was left to carry a very sick Waglington back to my house.

_Please Wag, just hang on a little longer. Just a little longer..._

Once back at my house, I found Tom and the wizards all waiting for me at my door. "Give him to me," Matt demanded and I shakily handed Wag over to Matt, who cradled him just as I had been doing. I trailed after Matt as he swiftly went inside but Phil gently rested his hand on my shoulder as I attempted to follow the wizard downstairs.

"Let him work," Phil explained. "It will be easiest if he has no distractions."

I nodded curtly and swallowed, wondering just how long it would take for us to know if Wag was going to survive.

An hour later, I got my answer.

"I've done all I can," Matt sighed, walking gingerly up the stairs from the basement. "It's just not enough."

I squeezed Tucker's hand slightly as I stared up at the armoured wizard. "So will he die?" I whispered, well aware of everyone else in the room. Tom and Jordan had been conversing in a corner, Martha was in tears, and the other two wizards were pacing anxiously, almost running into each other several times.

"I don't know," Matt moaned, collapsing back into another chair. "I just don't know. I hate not being able to tell, but there's just nothing else to do! Wag's deathly ill and I don't know if he has the strength to fight against it."

"He has to!" Tom exclaimed, his eyes darting worriedly from me to Matt. "He's stronger than that. He's a powerful wizard!" Matt slowly shook his head in defeat.

"Even the mightiest fall."

* * *

It had been a week after the Taint incident and Wag was feeling much better, as he proved by practically bouncing off the walls. I was getting tired of constantly having to watch him, but I didn't dare trust him to be on his own after what happened last week.

"Sonja," Wag whined, lying on his back on the floor. "Can we go outside and play?"

"No, I think it's high time that we both went to bed," I sighed, staring at Wag tiredly. "I'm exhausted from having to look after you all day. You didn't even have any sugar!"

"But I'm bored," he complained, dragging out the 'o'. "You're no fun."

"Well, I'm sorry," I gritted my teeth, trying desperately to keep from snapping. "I've been a bit busy defending the cookie jar from you."

"Why can't I have a cookie?"

"Because someone - namely Tom - spiked them," I rolled my eyes. "I don't have the ingredients to make more, so that's the only reason I haven't tossed them out yet."

"Spiked them?" Wag's eyes widened in horror. "So if I eat them, will spikes come out?"

"Yes," I lied. _Better than telling him what 'spiked' actually means._ "Stay away from the cookies."

Wag slowly backed away and I shooed him downstairs, chasing him until he went over to the bed. "Get your nightclothes on, and then get into bed," I ordered firmly. "I'm going to get ready for bed as well, but don't try any tricks with me, mister. Always watching... always watching." Wag gave me the Death Glare and I glared right back at him. There would be no shenanigans.

So finally, after some arguments about which nightclothes to wear and stalling to get into bed, we were both settled down. I had made a new bed for myself and it was across the room from where Wag was sleeping. The lights in the room were dimmed with a simple murmur and I closed my eyes, waiting to fall asleep.

But somehow, tonight, I just couldn't. I just lay there, thinking about Wag as he had been before this spell. He was oftentimes reclusive and was dangerous when he was around. Did I really want the little kid living with me to change back into that?

Then I remembered how good he was with spells; when faced with a problem, how tirelessly he would work; how his shyness combined with his power created the most interesting wizard I had ever met.

I wouldn't want that to disappear for who-knows-how-many-years until Wag grew up. That was for certain.

As I was thinking, I heard what sounded like a quiet whimpering. It took me a few seconds to realise that it must be Wag. I swiftly got out of bed and crossed the room on silent feet, halting at the side of Wag's bed.

The little wizard was twitching and tears were trickling down his cheeks as he sobbed. He gave a sudden, violent jerk to the side, crying out like he was in pain. I hesitated before waking him up though. The old myth that waking someone up from their dream was bad luck floated freshly through my mind but I shook it off as Wag wailed again, nearly falling off of the bed.

"Wag!" I grabbed his shoulder and shook it, ready to catch him if he rolled off the bed. His eyes flew open and for a moment, they were pure red, glinting with horror and despair. Then they faded back into more human eyes, with red irises as usual.

Wag started crying loudly, practically launching himself into my arms. I hugged him tightly, picking him up and swaying soothingly from side to side. "Shh," I whispered gently. "It'll be okay, Wag. I'm right here. I won't let anything hurt you."

"Dad," Wag whimpered. "Dad said that too."

I tensed, just barely able to force myself to relax again. What did he mean? Who was Wag's father? I pushed those questions to the back of my mind and carried Wag upstairs, sitting down in a rocking chair that Tucker had made for my birthday. Wag was still crying but I didn't mind. After a nightmare like he must have had, I didn't expect any less.

"Do you want to talk about it?" I asked softly. Wag paused for a second before shaking his head, leaning against my shoulder. I was content to let him stay on my lap and didn't scold him as he started playing with my hair, sniffling occasionally as he began to calm down.

Before long, he had closed his eyes and by his steady breathing, I could tell that he was asleep again. I smiled, leaning my own head back and shutting my eyes as well. I wouldn't be getting much sleep tonight but at least Wag was resting easily now.

And that was all that mattered.

* * *

"Sonja! Sonja, I found the cure!" I jumped when I heard Matt shouting at me. The armoured was running towards me, carefully holding a light purple potion in his hands. The potion was bubbling and it frothed madly, even though it was barely being shaken around.

"Hey Matt!" Wag waved and Matt flashed him a cheerful grin. "What's that you've got?"

"Something for you, but you can't have it just yet," Matt told him. "Sonja, this here should reverse his spell. It will turn him back to his adult form and restore all his memories. However, if it doesn't work, it has the potential to kill him. Are you sure you want to go through with this?"

I felt my breath catch in my throat and my gaze darted back and forth to Matt, holding the potion and staring at me expectantly, to Wag, who looked terrified at the very mention of death.

It just wouldn't be right if the potion failed and Wag died. I knew that if that happened, I would blame myself forever. There would be a tremendous gap in the community that could never be filled if Wag weren't around.

But he couldn't stay like this forever. The potion could work, but if we never tried, we would never know.

"Alright," I decided. "We'll do it."

Matt nodded and handed the potion to Wag, who handled it like it was a bomb primed to explode. He looked nervous about drinking from it know that he knew what consequences there could be, but when Matt uncorked it, he didn't hesitate to bring it up to his mouth and take a big gulp. Wag's eyes widened as he continued to drink and he dropped the bottle halfway through, doubling over and gasping in pain.

"Wag!" I cried, attempting to lunge forwards. Matt grabbed my wrist though and gently pulled me back, barring his arm across my chest to stop me from going over to Wag, who has collapsed. He was writhing violently on the ground now, clutching his throat as he screamed silently. "Let me help him! He's in pain!"

"Wait," Matt said simply.

As I watched on in growing horror, I heard a sickening sound of what might have been bones crunching and shifting. Wag seemed to be growing, and his clothes looked like they were being stretched uncomfortably tight. After just a few more seconds, they tore. Wag's face slowly grew more hollow and he was aging faster with each second passed.

Finally, he looked like just what I imagined he did as an adult, considering I had never seen more than his hands and feet because he always wore his robe. He gasped and opened his eyes and I flinched, startled by their pure blood-red colour.

"S-Sonja? Matt?" Wag stuttered, his voice deep again. He stood up cautiously and trembled a bit before regaining his balance. "Wha-what am I doing out here?" Wag glanced down and yelped, a bright red blush suddenly covering his face. "Where are my_ clothes?_"

I snickered at the sight of Wag standing buck naked in front of my house, completely disoriented. Wag stiffly moved his hands down so that his privacy was shielded at least a little bit before swallowing, his face still red with embarrassment.

"What - happened?" he squeaked. "Or do I not want to know?"

"It's a long story," I suppressed a giggle at Wag's highly unusual awkwardness. "Come inside and I'll tell you. Oh, and don't worry. I have your robes as well."

"Thanks," Wag muttered. "Would have been nice to have them, oh, I don't know, _five minutes ago_."

Matt chuckled and waited for me to go inside before following. Wag hobbled after us, being forced to walk very uncomfortably due to his predicament at the moment. His robe had been laid on the couch in my living room and I grabbed it, tossing it over to Wag without looking. I heard the soft swish of fabric and heard Wag shuffling around slightly so I assumed that he had indeed caught it and was putting it on.

"Alright, I'm better now," Wag grumbled, stomping over to a chair and plonking himself down, keeping the hems of his robe tightly pulled together. I could once again no longer see his face and I found it almost relieving; Wag was back to the powerful wizard that he truly was. "Now what was all that about?"

"Well, you see," Matt grinned, "You were working on a spell that kinda sorta backfired and turned you into... a five year-old version of yourself."

"Oh, I remember now," Wag sighed, facepalming. "Yeah, here's a heads-up - _do not_ under any circumstances try to combine a regeneration spell with a wither effect spell."

"Aw shoot," Matt suddenly stomped his foot on the ground. "Phil and Killer were messing around with that sort of stuff when I left. I'd better go stop them before we have another accident."

"You go do that," I smiled slightly, watching Matt run out of the house like he was on fire, muttering to himself under his breath as he sprinted away. Then Wag cleared his throat and I turned back to the wizard in front of me.

"So... what all happened while I was - you know - _younger_?" Wag asked, sounding slightly hesitant. I opened my mouth to answer him, but a thought popped into my head and I choked back what I was about to say previously.

"First you have to tell me - who was your father?" I thought I saw a flash of panic in Wag's dark eyes but he quickly regained his composure, stiffening slightly.

"I'd rather not share that information with you right now," Wag said tersely. "Why?"

"You had a nightmare and after you woke up, said that your dad had said that he would never let anything hurt you. You seemed pretty traumatised and I was curious," I shrugged, trying to be casual. Wag sighed and slowly shook his head.

"I don't like to think about my past, Sonja. Anything that happens in my nightmares -"

"Wait, this has happened before?" I interrupted. Wag stopped speaking abruptly and I could almost feel him glaring at me. "Sorry. Continue."

"Anything that happens in my nightmares is strictly between me and my own thoughts. I've been having nightmares for as long as I can remember; even after so many years, they still get to me," Wag sighed again. "There's nothing I can do to stop them though, so I've just dealt with them. Anyway, back to the top of _'what happened'_ which you have not yet explained."

"Well..."

* * *

"Wow," Wag breathed, whistling impressively a second later. "I'm not even going to ask how you found that much patience in you."

"Good, because I don't know either," I laughed heartily. Wag had enjoyed hearing about the antics he had gotten up to while he was five but was slightly less thrilled when I informed him that if need be, there would be blackmail using this. "But it was fun."

"Well, thanks for doing all of that for me," Wag stood up, stretching slightly. His cloak shifted apart a little ways and he hurriedly pulled it back so that it completely covered his body again. "Geez, what happened to the black clothes I usually wear under this?"

"I don't know. They're probably back at your house somewhere," I shrugged, trying not to giggle. All of a sudden, my telecommunicator buzzed and I pushed the button that turned my end on.

"Sonja!" I heard Matt gasp from the other end. "I - I was too late a-and -" there was a crash in the background and then Matt was shouting at someone. "Hey! You leave that alone, you little pest! That is _not_ for you! Phil, no! Those are the special brownies!"

"Matt?" I asked, worried.

"Sorry," Matt panted. "But you know what Wag was saying about the spells? Well, I was too late in getting back."

Another crash. More screaming. This time, I heard someone crying loudly in the background before Matt came back on.

"Killer and Phil are children now too."

**THIS WAS SO FUNNY! *doubles over laughing*  
**

**I had way too much fun writing this! Little Waglington child - oh yes, and more wizard children! Just wonderful! Oh, and did anybody catch the reference to Killertom? No? "Stop eating all the special brownies!" That. That was the reference. At least he wasn't screaming "****Matt, Matt, Matt Matt Matt Matt! Take off your clothes, it'll calm you" this time. Yes, that actually did happen. No, I don't remember which episode it was from - possibly one where I was laughing too hard to actually understand them like what happened today. Which was bad, because I'm actually a little sick and it hurts to laugh. **

**Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this really long one-shot... IT'S OVER 9,000! Like, legitimately, it's over 9,000 words. Now to beat that record!  
**

**-Ender, signing off**


	12. Wizard's Heart

**Hey y'all, it's Ender! I hope you're having a great day and I hope to make it even better with this new one-shot. NOTE: I do NOT own Mianite, Minecraft, any Youtubers mentioned, or any other copyrighted thing mentioned.**

_Wizard's Heart  
_

"So how does your magic work exactly?" Jordan asked curiously, watching me with wide eyes as I took out a whole row of endermen with a starstrike spell. We were in the End, collecting ender pearls for a prank on Tucker and we had decided to see who could collect more pearls. But since Jordan didn't have the ability to shoot a row of stars down from the sky like I did, there wasn't really any competition.

"Well, first off, there's a source," I abandoned my rampage and flew over to Jordan, who was resting atop one of the obsidian towers, his eyes reflecting what little light came from the Void stars. "Here, you know where your heart is? On the left side of your body?" Jordan nodded and tapped his chest where his heart was. "I have a magical core, just opposite that. Every wizard does - it's their source. When you're younger, it's smaller, and therefore you're not as powerful. But the older and more experienced you get, the more it grows. And it's actually a physical source too, like a sort of liquid energy. Here, feel it," I took Jordan's hand and pressed it against my chest where the magic core was. Jordan's eyes widened and he jerked his hand away.

"It felt... electric. But like a heartbeat too," he stared at me in confusion. I chuckled lightly and held out my hand, letting red sparks fly from my fingers.

"That's right. It acts like a second heart, pumping magical energy through my blood veins. In fact, it actually flows through my heart. I couldn't live without it. If it was removed, I would die," I explained. "Also, it makes up a third of my blood flow. So that's why it takes longer for wizards to recover after they've been physically hurt - but they also have a higher resistance to wounds because of it."

"That's so cool!" Jordan exclaimed. "Is there any way to implement it into someone else's body?"

"There is - it would be like a surgery," my eyes darkened. "But to condemn someone to such a fate as that, to have to suffer for a prolonged amount of time because they had no magic before eventually dying; that would be one of the most vile things someone could do. Imagine having to live with a numbered amount of days, slowly being paralysed and in eternal agony."

Jordan fell silent and I could tell he was thinking intensely; his face was all scrunched up in an expression that just shouted _I'm lost in thought._ Finally he asked, "What does the core look like?"

"A bit like an atom would, I suppose," I shrugged. "I've never actually seen it myself."

That was a lie.

_"Go! Before they take your powers too!"_

I tore myself out of the memory and put on a smile, winking at Jordan. "And I hope you'll never find the desire to see either."

"Would I really do that to you, buddy?" Jordan snorted, clapping me on the shoulder and sliding off the tower, landing on the air as easily as if he had landed on the Endstone far below.

"Of course not," I replied evenly, shooting down another starstrike spell at a large group of endermen. "Besides, I'd kill you as soon as you got close."

"I don't doubt it," Jordan laughed. "I wouldn't dare dream of taking on a wizard."

"Good," I nodded, swooping down to collect the ender pearls from the bodies slowly turning into white smoke. "Now, I think we have enough pearls, don't you?"

"Yeah. I've got a couple dozen here. How many do you have?"

"Seventy-six," I replied promptly. It was met with an impressive whistle from Jordan and I smirked. Starstrike spells were so useful. They burned a lot of magical energy, but it could regenerate quickly under proper conditions. Jordan flew over towards the portal home and I followed him, diving into the star-filled pool and surfacing back in my bed. I lay on the sheets for a while, resting my eyes and enjoying the softness of the mattress before I got to my feet and walked over to the ladder, climbing up to the balcony. The sun felt good on my cool skin and I jumped up, hovering for a bit before flying off to find Jordan so we could make our liquid enderium prank.

Then something hit the back of my head and the world went black.

* * *

I was blindfolded.

I _hated_ being blindfolded.

"Hello?" I called out, unable to disguise the note of fear in my voice. "Guys?"

I could hear distant laughter and it _sounded_ like my friends - but I couldn't tell where it was coming from. There was the faint feeling of breathing over me and I flinched away. It retreated and I trembled, trying to move my hands but finding them tied down. I was lying on some sort of cold surface and from what I could feel, I wasn't wearing either my cloak or a shirt.

"Guys, this isn't funny anymore," tears pricked the corners of my eyes, even though they were still tightly shut. It occurred to me to try my unbinding spell, but when I muttered it under my breath, nothing happened. Crap. There must be some sort of curse over me, preventing me from using magic. All of sudden, real fear set in and the first tear trickled down my cheek. This wasn't my friends; they wouldn't scare me this badly, blindfolding me and tying me up, just for a prank. They weren't like that. They weren't cruel.

"Hush little wizard," someone hissed and I yelped as the ropes around my wrists were tightened; enough to where it almost cut off the flow of blood and magic. I dully thought that this was to make sure that I wouldn't be casting any attacking spells until I realised that if they already had the spell-muffling curse on me, they wouldn't exactly need extra safety measures.

What was more concerning at that moment was the fact that I recognised the voice.

"G-Gaines?" I whimpered, feeling shameful at my current, shivering wreck. "Deviser Gaines?"

"Yes, now shut up," Gaines grunted, making sure my blindfold was securely fastened.

"Let him see," a new voice interrupted. "Surely he wouldn't mind having a view."

Gaines hesitated and my heart thudded heavily, fear and panic fueling its pulse. Finally, he untied the blindfold and I blinked, the corners of my vision slightly blurry from the tears. I was obviously in the Deviser's laboratory, but in a part that he hadn't shown us, with smooth metal walls and a flickering florescent light. Gaines stood in front of me, looking cross as he glared at someone who was standing over my shoulder. I craned my neck to try and get a glimpse of who it was, but Gaines slapped my cheek and I flinched, whipping my head back around to face him. Terror danced in my eyes as he brushed against table to my left. It was filled with a lot of shiny tools... made for quite possibly an intense surgery.

"My Observation Bot was watching you," Gaines explained tartly. "You really should learn to be more careful - or just realise that he never leaves. I've been waiting a long time for this."

"You're sick," my voice trembled and my stomach twisted into a knot. "How could you do this?"

"Because I want to be _powerful_!" Gaines roared suddenly, slamming his hand down on the table I was lying on, narrowly missing the side of my head. I let out a short scream and he continued, eyes growing in fury. "I want to be able to cast spells, and make my own portals without there actually being portals; I want to have magic!"

"Calm down, Gaines," the other voice spoke once again. "The poor mite just was asking you a question."

"Right," Gaines muttered, straightening up and running a hand through his wavy brown hair. "Right. Sorry, my lord. I got a bit carried away."

"It seems so," the voice chuckled. "He's going to be in enough of a panic anyway. Why make it worse?"

"Sorry," Gaines said again. I was frozen stiff in horror, only able to watch Gaines with fearful eyes as he picked up a small surgical knife. "My lord, would mind enhancing the lighting? This flickering won't be enough to see properly."

"Of course," the voice purred. Someone snapped their fingers and the florescent light suddenly stopped flickering and became brighter, almost blinding me. I squinted, staring to the side to avoid the worst of the glare, although it was still pretty bad.

"Hold still," Gaines whispered, and there was a small twinge of pain as he made the first incision slightly to the right of my chest. It wasn't more than a few inches long and he dabbed at it with a cloth that smelled strongly of antiseptic. That's when it started getting truly horrifying.

Gaines grabbed a needle that was about as bit as his hand; something that would have made me cringe, even in normal conditions, and poked the tip of the needle into the incision. A slight electric jolt shot through my body and it didn't take a genius to figure out that it had connected to the magical core. Gaines didn't hesitate before drawing back the top of the needle and filling the glass part with a shimmering red substance.

I started screaming.

Agony clouded my mind and suddenly I realised that I had had no idea what pain was before this. This... _this_... was true anguish. Gaines filled the first needle and stuck in a second, then a third, and then a fourth. I never stopped screaming once as my muscles twitched and spasmed, my vision faded in and out of existence, and my heart fluttered weakly, trying to keep me alive through the ordeal of having my very life sucked away from me.

My voice snapped and my howls were abruptly cut off into harsh wheezes. The pain faded too - but only to an extent. Gaines grabbed a spool of wiry black string and a normal sewing needle and started sewing up the open slit, staying silent even though he had four needles filled with my magical life force sitting less than a foot away from his reach. I felt broken inside and started crying silently as Gaines finished up the sutures and nodded, as though pleased.

"Sick," I rasped quietly, staring weakly at him.

Gaines only shook his head, an amused smirk on his face. "Strong," he corrected, picking up one of the needles and waving it in front of my face. "Very strong, mortal."

It only struck me after he said that... but I was mortal now. I didn't have my powers.

I didn't have my powers.

_I didn't have my powers!_

_No!_

* * *

I awoke facing the blue sky, lying on the ground in the middle of the town, where I had first arrived in the world. I groaned, rolling over, but immediately started coughing, hacking up a greenish black substance. I trembled as I shakily felt my chest, feeling the slightly raised bumps of stitches.

So it wasn't a dream.

I was still robeless and shirtless, and even though I really didn't fancy my pale, scrawny chest being shown to the public, clothes were the least of my worries. My top priority was finding someone to help... Jordan, Tom,_ anyone. _I forced myself to my feet and stumbled through the town, mostly abandoned after the taint had struck it and the king and prince were gone. They had gone to other places in the world, like Urulu, but again, that wasn't my main worry right now._  
_

I made it across the bridge leading to Tucker's, my legs barely supporting my weight because of how badly I was shaking. I felt like my head was made of clouds and my eyes would flicker shut occasionally as I struggled to stay conscious. I attempted to go into Tucker's house but I found the door locked, meaning that the blood mage was probably out elsewhere, maybe in a group with the others. Disappointment weighed heavy on my heart and I lurched away from the door, heading to Jordan's. He was more like to be at home nowadays, since he had collected too many resources to count and spent his days sorting through chests and organising them.

It seemed like ages before I made it to the towers and spotted Jordan on the lower bridge, staring out over the landscape. The dragon statue cast shade on the surrounding rock and I was grateful for the slight relief from the burning sun.

"Jordan," I croaked, sounding strained and hurt.

Jordan's head whipped around and he stared at me, as though surprised. "Wag, where have you been? We were - _Oh my Notch!_" his voice rose to a shrill screech and he jumped off the little bridge, landing lightly on the ground and running over to me. "Waglington! What _happened_?"

"Deviser - Deviser Gaines," I choked out, reaching out shakily and grasping Jordan's shoulder. He quickly wrapped an arm around me to support me and I swallowed, continuing as best I could. "He took it. My magic. Observation Bot heard me and Gaines took my magic."

"Oh my sweet Ianite," Jordan breathed, running his fingers over the rough stitches. "Wag, you have to lie down. You're going to faint."

I nodded in a grim confirmation and Jordan quickly scooped me up bridal style - to which I protested feebly - and flew me back up to his house and the floor with his bedroom on it, resting me down on the mattress and pulling the rumpled sheets up to my stomach.

"I'm going to go get help," Jordan glanced at me, turning to leave once again. "Try to stay awake until I get back, okay?" I nodded weakly and Jordan took off, leaving me alone.

It felt so insanely horrible without my magic; so weak and helpless. There was a hollow feeling in my chest and my heart was beating too quickly and faintly, trying to make up for the lack of magic in my body. It seemed like ages before Jordan got back, with two other voices following him.

"Time constraints only allowed me to find Dec and Martha," Jordan apologised, standing aside to let the two aforementioned helpers in to see me. "I'm going to fetch one of the other wizards now." He darted back off and I glanced dully at Dec and Martha, who were frozen in shock at my appearance.

"What? Just because you've never seen me shirtless before doesn't mean you have to be awestruck by my amazing bod'," I joked, trying to lighten the mood. Dec, smirked a little but Martha started to tear up, hands shaking. Dec noticed and shook her shoulder lightly, concern showing in his eyes.

"Hey, there's no time for that. Wag needs your help," he scolded lightly. "I can do priest stuff, but I need someone to assist me." Martha nodded silently and I did my best to give her a reassuring smile. Hey, at least I wasn't in pain yet, but...

I couldn't feel my fingers.

Dec and Martha swiftly made their way over to the side of the bed and Dec took hold of the situation, advising Martha on what to do with her still-growing goddess powers. I barely listened, beginning to find it difficult to concentrate - and even though it was enough of a problem before, now I couldn't even force myself to do so.

All in all, the situation wasn't looking too hopeful at all.

"Wag? Waglington!" Dec snapped his fingers in front of my face and I jerked my slowly dimming gaze over to the ginger. "Hey bud, stay awake, okay? There's no telling what would happen if you fell asleep."

"I'd get some rest, probably," I grunted, letting my eyes slide shut. The world faded away around me much faster than I was used to, and even Dec and Martha shouting at me to stay awake faded into the darkness as well.

* * *

"I don't know what to do with this," Matt blinked, staring at Wag from where he stood beside the bed. I shuffled my feet impatiently, well aware of Dec and Martha's concerned stares boring into the back of my head. I had brought the wizard over in hopes that he would be able to help, but he appeared just as much at a loss of what to do with Wag as anyone else. Wag had apparently fallen asleep and was making small whimpering noises, face occasionally scrunching up in pain.

"Helping him would be nice," Dec muttered, earning a nasty glare from Matt. "Well, I certainly don't have any desire for you to just sit around and do nothing."

"He was my friend for a much longer time than he ever was yours," Matt hissed, not looking at Dec as he took Wag's wrist between his thumb and forefinger, checking the pulse. "I would help him if I knew what to do... you say Deviser Gaines took his magic?" this question was directed at me and I hurriedly nodded, wondering if that had anything to do with anything. "I want you to go find him. Even just a needle full of the magic would be enough to make sure that Wag won't die. If he's already injected himself with the magic then - then may be impossible to save Wag."

I swallowed and nodded, fully realising the seriousness of the task at hand. If I failed, one of my best friends would die. I made no delay from then on out, running out onto the walkway and taking flight, heading towards where I knew Gaines' lab was. It took a while, but the horse statues finally came into view. I dropped in flight until I was flying close enough to the ground to dive headfirst into the passageway that led to Gaines' secret lab.

Gaines himself was nowhere to be seen at first, but since the only lights that were on came from a half-hidden side room, I had a pretty good guess of where he might be. I snuck into the room as quietly as I could and saw Gaines standing with his back to me, right sleeve rolled up and a needle filled with a shimmering red substance in hand. There were still two full needles and an empty one still rolling away on the floor. As I watched, Gaines stuck the needle into his arm and pushed the top down, inserting Wag's magic into his own body. He shrieked in pain and immediately flung the needle away as soon as it was empty.

I was about to make my move - go up and knock Gaines out before stealing the last two needles - when something very heavy suddenly shoved me to the ground. I yelped and rolled over, springing to my feet and drawing my sword to face...

Mianite.

The god was staring at me, one robotic eye clicking and whirring mechanically as he assessed me. He had no sword drawn, but I was hesitant to fight a godly being. He didn't need a sword.

"My lord!" I heard Gaines gasp from behind me. "What -"

"You really should be more careful about who could creep in here," Mianite's voice was a low chuckle, as though he was amused. "He could have stolen the magic and gotten away with it, leaving you squirming on the floor as usual."

I could practically feel the tension crackling in the air from Gaines but knew it wasn't safe to turn around to see his fury. But I knew that Wag could be dying right now... and here I was, caught at an impasse. I had to do something besides waiting for my fate to be decided by my two adversaries.

I took a deep breath and flicked my wrist, hoping that my aim would be close enough. My sword was sent spinning backwards through the air and I whipped around, catching a glimpse of Gaines falling onto the ground and scrambling away as quickly as possible to avoid it. I darted past the disoriented scientist, snatched my sword off the ground, and pocketed the two needles. There was a faint _swish_ and I screamed as a searing pain bloomed all through my leg. I nearly collapsed and felt a warm liquid run down my calf, not looking at the throwing knife that I knew must be buried deep in the muscle.

I faced both Gaines and Mianite when I turned around, but didn't hesitate when I sprinted past Gaines, who drove another dagger into my shoulder and almost sent me reeling off balance, and elbowed my way around Mianite, who made no move to stop me. I heard Gaines shouting at the god behind me but I ignored it, panting heavily as my leg screamed in pain. It occurred to me that Mianite was most likely honouring our alliance by not hurting or stopping me, and I was all the more grateful for that right then. I took flight and made my way out of that Notch-forsaken laboratory, blood splattering on little droplets on the ground below.

The flight back home was fairly uneventful, and I dropped into the sea a few times to let the water cleanse some of the blood off of my leg. By the time I landed back at my towers, the pain had faded to a dull twinge and I gave Matt the two needles filled with magic without a word.

From here on out, there would only be hope.

* * *

I opened my eyes and was met with a ceiling made of stone bricks and a chorus of relieved cries. I pushed myself into a sitting position and looked around, seeing all my friends scattered around the room, eyes shining with joy.

"How ya' feeling, mate?" Tom asked, shaking my shoulder rather roughly. I grinned up at him and my hand instinctively moved up to my chest. There were still stitches - but they seemed neater and more precise, like they had been redone.

"Better," I admitted, and it was true. I did feel stronger... like...

Like I had gotten my magic back.

"Awesome!" Jordan smiled warmly. "I'd have hated to have gotten stabbed twice for nothing." I started as I looked at him, seeing that he did indeed have bandages wrapped around his leg and shoulder.

"So what all happened while I was out?" I inquired curiously. In the next five minutes, Jordan summed up what went down and I listened with my head tilted to one side, taking in all the information. Once he was done, I pushed back the covers, got to my feet - still shakily, I'd admit - stumbled over to Jordan, and gave him a hug.

"Thanks," I whispered. "Thank you so much."

"No problem, buddy," he murmured back.

I smiled and took a few steps back from the others. With a few quick words, I once again had on a dark T-shirt and my thick robes, hiding the scar on my chest.

"Ladies and gentlemen," I flashed a grin at everyone. "Waglington is back."

**Well. That was written in... *checks how long I've been listening to "Bleeding Out"* 3 hours. And finished at three in the morning.**

**So I actually came up with the idea for this whilst in Food Lion - something about wizards losing their powers always tends to make my stomach twist in that unpleasant way that lets me know I have to write something from it. And also, I'm super sorry I haven't updated this in so long - I was working on a different one-shot that I ditched and want DiamondOasis37 to continue. She doesn't believe she can though, so why don't you go show her stories some love and let her know that _SHE CAN!_**


	13. Welcome Home

**Hey y'all, it's Ender! I hope you're having a great day and I hope to make it even better with this new one-shot. NOTE: I do NOT own Mianite, Minecraft, any YouTubers mentioned, or any other copyrighted thing mentioned. **

**S1 AU around episode 80, Syndicate's POV, where Twisted is still a half-wizard, but he doesn't have fits. Using Laura Mackenzie's (KiwiDrawer) design of Syndicate's MC skin, with green patches of zombie skin.**

_Welcome Home_

I stared out at the tiny little house in front of me, perched on the railing of the red-flagged ship. I had no idea where I was in this strange land, but I knew that I was meant to be here. It wasn't like there was a giant sign or anything saying _"Welcome to your new home, Twisted!"_, but I just had a... feeling.

Of course, anywhere was better than the burning mess of my previous home in Ianarea.

I sighed, feeling a stab of homesickness in my heart. There was no way I could have saved any of the victims of the destruction, and it was only by sheer dumb luck and ignorance that I had survived Dianite's wrath. I swung my legs like a pendulum, the cerulean ocean glittering below. The ship bobbed gently in the pulsating waves and I stared at the calm water, trying to block out the echoes of screams that were running through my head. Cries for help, for mercy. Then a sickening gurgle as their lives were snatched away from them.

I watched all of that, half hidden under a split and scorched beam, fear lighting my eyes and firelight dousing my soot-stained face. Dianite had stalked past me, shot a contempt-filled glance at the remains of my old house, and went about his way with a smug smirk.

I had lain there until the fires died down and the night faded into day. Once I was sure Dianite was gone, I had gone to check if the portals were still working. The only one that was had led to here and I went through it, expecting it to disappear upon my going through it - which it did. Now I was trapped in this strange land, with no way if getting back home and no means to contact anyone who may be able to help me. Not that I knew of anyone who was still alive - I only knew those from Ianarea and they were dead.

I sighed again, slipping off of the railing and down to the polished deck of the ship. It didn't look like there was anyone aboard save for me, and it was rather small for a pirate vessel. It would hold maybe a six man crew and a captain - not large at all compared to the ships from my hometown, able to house fifty sailors and still have room for booty and prisoners.

But that wasn't saying it was a bad ship - in fact, it had been designed very well to accommodate small crews, with one easy-to-maneuver sail and a light, narrow frame for top speed.

"Hey! You! Get off of me ship!" I jumped when I heard a male, English-accented voice shout at me from the shore. I whipped around to see a - _thing_ \- running towards me with a shining diamond sword in hand. He looked like a human... but he had patches of green skin, like a zombie. His eyes were a beady black and narrowed with anger, and he had on a tuxedo. Odd. "This is your last chance! _Off. My. Ship."_

"Make me," I taunted. It was probably unwise, further maddening the zombie-man in front of me, but I had just seen the face of Dianite. I wasn't scared of anything.

The zombie-man growled, pacing the sandy shore, before grabbing a dark orb from his pocket and throwing it just over my head. I instinctively ducked and it shattered on the mast, disintegrating into purple particles. The zombie-man appeared out of nowhere and within half a heartbeat, had the tip of his sword pressed up against my chin. It felt like someone had dropped a stone in my stomach and I suddenly found it hard to breathe.

"I warned you," the zombie-man hissed, his face inches from mine. "I don't like killing innocent people."

I let out a rather embarrassing squeak as the zombie-man poked me with the shiny sword a little harder, piercing the skin just enough to draw a small bead of blood. "Pl-please no," I whispered. Please, _please _don't tell me I had survived Dianite's attack just to be killed by some random person.

"I told you to leave my ship. You didn't listen," the zombie-man dug his sword in a little more and I started to tremble, tears brimming in my eyes. I didn't like the look of malice in this man's eyes. It was like he had seen Chaos and had absorbed it into himself.

The zombie-man blinked when I began to cry silently and the wild look in his black eyes disappeared. His whole demeanor changed entirely and he lowered the sword, allowing me to fall to my knees and gingerly feel the fresh new scar on my throat. It was very shallow and had already stopped bleeding, but it scared me to know just how close I had come to dying for the second time in less than twenty-four hours. I wiped away the tear streaks, sniffling a bit as I tried to regain some of my previous calmness.

"Mate? You okay?" the zombie-man asked hesitantly. "I didn't want to hurt you after I saw you didn't have a weapon."

"I - I'm fine," I stuttered, pushing myself to my feet. "As long as you don't gut me anyway. Look, I'll just be going now. Don't stab me while my back is turned, please and thank you," I muttered, turning around to dive off the railing. I almost yelped when the zombie-man suddenly grabbed my wrist with his free hand, restraining me.

"Wait a second! Let me apologise first!" the zombie-man did sound regretful and I reluctantly turned to face him. "Okay, I am sorry for jumping to conclusions and almost slicing your throat out. Now, let's try this again. My name is Tom Syndicate," the zombie man sheathed his diamond sword and stuck out his right hand.

"Twisted," I took it cautiously and his fingers closed firmly around my own hand. He gave me a warm handshake and an even warmer smile.

"Pleased to meet you," Tom said casually. "Are you new here? You must be."

"Yes, I just arrived a few minutes before you got here," I explained, letting my gaze fall to the ground. "I used a portal, but it was too weak on power to transport me back home."

"Oh... I'm sorry about that, mate," Tom frowned. "If I knew anything about portals I'd try to help, honestly."

"It's fine," I waved my hand in a dismissive fashion. "There's nothing left for me there anyway. Dianite burned it all."

Tom's eyes widened and he opened his mouth like he was about to say something, but he clearly thought better of it and closed his mouth. He was silent for a few seconds before a wide grin spread over his face once again. "Hey, do you want me to show you around the world? It sounds like you're gonna be here for a while."

"I guess so," I shrugged. "So why not? Can't do any harm."

Tom chuckled a bit and paced over to the railing, swinging first one foot over the beam; then the other. He flashed me a smirked and proceeded to back-flip down into the ocean, creating a large splash in the salty waves. I grinned and decided to one-up him - I ran up to the railing, leapt onto the it, then using the momentum from my run up, curled up into a rapidly spinning cannonball and created a giant splash as I hit the water.

I came up and gasped in a bit of air, pushing some wet hair out of my eyes. Tom was laughing gleefully and I joined him, starting to swim back to shore. We both reached the sandy beach at about the same time and scrambled out onto the shore, splashing each other as we shook ourselves off like dogs.

"Come on - you can dry off as I show you around," Tom grabbed my arm and started tugging me along. I followed quite willingly, letting my new friend lead me over a strange half-cobble, half-quartz bridge across the nearby river. There was a tunnel in the hill and I hesitated slightly, unwilling to trust the darkness that seemed to be beckoning me inwards. "Oh come on, Twisted. It's just my old home. There's nothing bad in there that's gonna eat you up," Tom teased and I relaxed, once again letting him drag me into the tunnel.

After a few steps, I found that Tom was right; there were glowing torches and daylight just beyond. However, it was all blurred by the shifting glow of a Nether portal. Tom walked through it like a doorway, emerging on the other side perfectly unharmed, but I had to force myself to step through, feeling the portal suck at my cow hide clothes like a thick gel.

"So like I mentioned, this is my old home. This used to be my vault, but I moved once my front room got blown up," Tom pulled a sour face and I couldn't help but laugh, realising that Tom was being purposefully ridiculous to help ease my tension. "I even had the most awesome doorbell ever, rigged up under my house."

"Cool," I commented, staring around. It was nothing too special, just a little hollowed out hole in a hill made of stone bricks - at least, until we got into what was left of the front room.

I gasped and it seemed that my brain just couldn't comprehend the absolute _weirdness_ that was sprawled in front of me. Coloured wool, half-hidden noteblocks and redstone, and a random sheep whose wool changed colours was just too much for my poor little mind to handle.

"This was a prank and it got turned into a disaster," Tom gestured towards a large crater in front of us, possibly from an explosion. "Anyway, the remains of Club Saulht aside, follow me! We'll go see Jerry's Tree!"

"Alright Mr. Poet," I snickered. "Lead on."

Tom wasted no time in jumping over the explosion hole, half-crumbled redstone blocks sprinkling a bit of brightly coloured dust to the bottom of the the pit. I followed and when I stumbled a bit on the edge, Tom grabbed my hand to steady me. I thanked him and watched the world with wide eyes as he led me onto a neat pathway leading up to where I could just barely see a massive cluster of leaves. As we topped the hill, my mouth fell open as I saw the huge tree just beyond where the curve of the hill ended.

"That's Jerry's Tree. And next to it, that's _Crapa de Sparklez_," Tom said jokingly, gesturing towards a quaint modern house that was almost completely surrounded by trees. "We went Eco-friendly with decoration. Gotta save the environment, y'know?"

"Wait - did you say _'Crapa'_? What's that supposed to mean?" I asked confusedly.

"Oh, it was just a joke. It's supposed to be 'Casa', but I like to tease Jordan. Oh, there's Sparkley-pants now!" Tom's voice rose to a shout and he waved at a distant figure coming out of the house. The other person waved back and started running towards us and as he got closer, I saw that he was wearing a tuxedo like Tom, but it was more sloppily done and the front of the white undershirt was torn. He was well-tanned, had a wild black beard, and donned a pair of bright red sunglasses.

"Hello Tom! Who is this?" the new person asked with a very strange sounding accent.

"Cut the accent Jordan, this is Twisted," Tom grinned.

"Oh. Pleased to meet you," Jordan tried again with a more normal-sounding voice. "As you've probably guessed, I'm Jordan Sparklez. And this is my regular voice," Jordan extended his hand and I shook it. "So I suppose Tom is showing you around?"

"Yeah. I've only seen his old base so far," I shrugged casually. "Is there much more?"

"Well..." Jordan started, "It depends on your definition of 'much'. There's many things here. Some are abandoned. Others are far away. What's Tom planning on showing you?"

"Just Tucker and Sonja's place, the Quartz-house, and then I'll swing by the wizards," Tom summed up. "I'm not going into the desert at this time of day - one, it's too hot, two, I would like to get a few more things accomplished today."

"Okay. Hope to see you around sometime, Twisted!" Jordan nodded once to me and sprinted past us towards a half-hidden path to who-knows-where. After that, Tom showed me the Quartz-house - "Don't do anything bad, or you'll end up getting trialled" - Tucker Jericho and Sonja Firefoxx's house - "Lovebirds, they are. But Tucker's still my best friend" - and the Fyre hall of wizardry - "And we can have them build stuff for us!"

"Y'know, I'm half-wizard," I stared at the massive curved structure. "I can do a little magic like summoning, but it has limits. No potions, no enchantments, and no hostile mobs. I can also fly if I try really hard."

"Really?" Tom's eyes widened in disbelief. "Show me! And teach me your ways!"

I conceded and jumped up into the air, hovering about a foot up off the ground. Then I summoned in a simple iron sword and tossed it up above my head, forcing it to dissipate as soon as it started to fall back down. Then I let myself descend onto the grass, feeling a bit more tired than I had just a few seconds before. My magic didn't have a lot of duration so I had to use it in small increments to avoid passing out from exhaustion.

"That was so cool," Tom breathed. "You're a flippin' wizard, mate!"

"Half-wizard," I corrected. "Don't expect me to be able to do much more than that."

"It's still cool," Tom argued. "You can't deny that."

"Sure," I conceded, figuring that the only way Tom would leave it was if I gave up first. Tom seemed satisfied but then an expression of concern crossed his face.

"Hey, where are you gonna stay? I mean, you could stay at my place for a while if you wanted, but I think that would get kinda awkward..." Tom trailed off and since I honestly had no answer, I stayed silent. Then Tom's eyes lit up again and he snapped his fingers. "Oh! I could build you a little place!"

"Really? You'd do that for me?" I asked him, incredulous and stunned for a few seconds. He nodded and a wide grin spread across my face. "Thank you! I'll help too -"

"No, no, no, you just relax. I can handle it," Tom reassured me. "Hey, maybe you could go find User - he usually hangs out around the Quartz-house, messing around with redstone. I think you would probably like each other. He's really friendly and helpful."

"Alright - you said his name was User?" I queried, just to make sure. Tom nodded in confirmation and he walked me back to the Quartz-house, leaving me outside the iron doors. "I guess I'll see you later."

"Bye!" he waved, running off back towards his house. I waved back, then started looking around. There didn't seem to be anybody nearby and I felt a bit nervous. I didn't want to just go running after Tom because I was afraid to be alone when I knew almost nothing about the world I was in, but I was seriously on edge.

"Hello there!" I almost jumped out of my skin when a friendly, cheerful voice interrupted my musings. I whipped around and saw a young man with slightly curly brown hair and shining eyes standing just behind me. He looked a little older than I was and donned a dark blue jacket, an orange-and-white striped T-shirt, and tan breeches. "Are you new here?"

"Y-yes," I stammered nervously. "My name is Twisted."

"I'm User," the young man smiled at me. It clicked that this must be who Tom had been talking about; that I would supposedly like. "Let me guess... Tom told you to meet me?" I started, surprised by User's unusually accurate guess. He laughed when he saw my face and adjusted a pair of gold-rimmed goggles that were nestled in his hair. "Oh, don't give me that look. I overheard you talking. I live just under the Quartz-house," User pointed to the ground beneath our feet. "It's my own secret room surrounded in bedrock - it took forever for me to summon in but it was worth it to get peace and quiet."

"Wait - so you're a wizard?" I asked, slightly hesitant.

"Yup," User nodded, popping the 'p'. "I prefer to be left on my own though. The Fyre guys understand - besides, they're always like their own little family. I help them with building but I don't intrude on their living space too often because it makes me feel really awkward."

"Understandable," I shrugged. "So you like redstone?"

User's eyes suddenly lit up like someone had just placed down a torch. I almost instantly regretted ever mentioning redstone - because I couldn't have ever gotten a word in edgewise between User's excited rambling on all his creations. I was nodding and acting like I understood what he was talking about - in reality, I only understood about fifteen percent of all the things he was going on about.

It was almost sundown by the time Tom came to rescue me from the ramblings of redstone. My eyes had long since glazed over but even though User's voice was hoarse from talking, he was still chattering about something to do with hoppers and pistons creating a movable gathering system for a farm.

"Oi, User! Can I have my friend back?" Tom called jokingly from a distance, walking towards us. User abruptly stopped talking, glanced first at Tom, then the sky. His eyes widened and he turned back to me, face set in an apologetic expression.

"Oh my Notch, I'm so sorry Twisted," User sounded very guilty, like a wolf pup that had just done something bad. "I didn't mean to keep you so long. It's just - I love redstone. _A lot._"

"Yeah, I gathered that," I snickered, shaking out the stiffness in my arms in legs. User's face fell even more and I gave him a small smile to show that there were no hard feelings. "It was nice meeting you, anyway."

"Nice meeting you too!" User waved to me as Tom gestured for me to come over, to which I complied most willingly. "See you around?"

"Definitely! Goodbye!" I watched as User squeezed his eyes shut and disappeared a second later with a faint pop, most likely teleporting to his home that he had talked about. Tom stared at me with an amused look on his face and I turned to him, quizzically tilting my head to the side.

"I guess I forgot to mention User's huge obsession with redstone?" Tom sounded like he was suppressing laughter and my gaze turned into a half-hearted glare.

"Kinda, yeah," I huffed, semi-annoyed with Tom. He put on a pretend look of hurt and stuck his bottom lip out like a little kid pouting because they had dropped their cookie. I couldn't help it - I bursted out laughing at my new friend's hilarious expression of mock betrayal. Tom started to laugh as well and it took us a few minutes to recover our wits enough to hold a fairly normal conversation. As we did finally stop cracking up, we had just passed the Nether portal and came out on the other side of the hill to view Tom's smallish-looking hut. Down on the shore, closer to the ship I had been placed on by the portal, was an even tinier shack made of stone brick.

"I hope you appreciate the creative genius that went into this work," Tom joked. "Don't worry though, it has a ladder down to a larger underground area so you won't be too cramped."

"Thank you," I breathed, amazed by the sheer fact that a complete stranger would put in this much effort for someone they had just met. "This does mean a lot to me, y'know."

"Ehy, don't mention it," Tom winked. "All for a friend. And remember, if you ever need anything, you know where to find me," he nodded at his own little hut, just ahead of us; we had crossed over the bridge whilst talking. "Goodnight Twisted."

"Goodnight," I smiled at Tom, mind spinning from all these new people and places. I walked over to my new home, noting with pleasure the sign above the door that read 'Twisted's Shack'. I found that there was indeed a ladder that led to a rather spacious cave area, with a bed and enough torches to keep it bright. I immediately went for the bed and collapsed on the sheets, too exhausted to bother with taking off my cow hide clothing and knowing full well it was comfortable enough to sleep in.

I closed my eyes and within just a few minutes, was deep in the land of a peaceful sleep.

* * *

A week later, I had settled into the land of Mianite pretty well.

As it turned out, Tom was right - User and I had made fast friends, even though his 'Redstone Rambles' could get on my nerves at times. Other than that, we had a lot in common, like a similar sense of humour, a love for building and creating our own stories, and just general personality. He was very outgoing and that made a lot of difference on the shyness I would often develop when around new people.

I had decorated my shack a little more, adding touches of colour with carpet to the underground area, and even had put in an "ocean-view window" - meaning that after finding that extending the room would cause me to create a hole underwater, I had used it to my advantage to create a floor-to-ceiling glass wall that looked out into the azure water. Of course, spending this much magical energy on building had exhausted me enough to keep me bed-bound for the next few days until I could recover enough strength to stand. And after that, I had wolfed down every bit of food I had, promising myself never to use that much magic all at once again.

Tom was always very helpful whenever I needed anything, showing me around and introducing me to the wizards while they were working on random little projects. Jordan had set aside a whole day to explain everything about the world to me; the gods, teams, rules, and people. Tucker and Sonja were nice enough to help me collect resources and had turned a normal mining trip into a hilarious competition.

But there were apparently still some people that I didn't know about.

I was just walking over to hang out with User and see what he was up to, when a flash of brightly-coloured fabric caught my eye. I turned to see someone dart down a tunnel made of stone brick and edged with lava under cobble walls. I hesitated, unsure of whether to investigate or just ask User about it. Then, curiosity got the better of me and I followed slowly after the retreating figure.

The tunnel itself was cast in a dark red glow from the lava and there was a thick smoky haze hanging in the air. I coughed slightly, the smoke stinging my eyes, and I stumbled. Suddenly, someone had caught me in a firm grip and I jerked my head up to see a young man who I could've sworn hadn't been anywhere around just a second ago.

"Watch yourself," the young man warned, his voice cold and as deadly as a viper. "There are spirits in this smoke. You'd do best to hold your breath if they haven't granted you access."

I nodded nervously and let the stranger lead me out of the tunnel. There was a small courtyard area but instead of the bright daylight that had been covering the land just before I entered the tunnel of smoke, there was only the night sky filled with thousands upon thousands of stars. When I glanced back down the tunnel just to make sure I wasn't going crazy about it actually being daytime, the smoke had become too thick for me to even see through at all, though it seemed bound to the tunnel.

"It's just an enchantment," the young man eyed me down. "It allows me to better communicate with Mianite, as he usually sends omens through the stars."

"You're... an oracle?" I asked confusedly. The young man's dark eyes flashed with anger and within less than a heartbeat, had grabbed my shoulders and pushed me back up against another wall made of stone brick. I cried out in shock, trying to shove him away from me, scared of the wild look etched on his face.

"Don't ever call me that," he hissed. "I am Mianite's priest, and I know so much more than an unseeing oracle ever could. I know all about your past and your future. I know your name is Jordan Miller, but of course, you left that name behind when your father killed himself." My jaw dropped, but the young man didn't stop there. "I know that your home was destroyed by Dianite, and I know that you are destined to die in your true love's arms as they cry over your body. I know everything about your life and death, Twisted. So you better not mistake me for a prophetic mummy ever again, do you hear?"

"Y-yes," I stuttered, scared out of my wits with a feeling of turmoil deep in my stomach at the priest's cryptic words. Dying in my true love's arms? But I didn't even love anyone!

"Good," the priest huffed. "Now come with me. Mianite wanted me to do something that concerns you." I tried to protest, but before I could, the priest had grabbed my wrist and was forcefully pulling me along behind him over to an enchantment table surrounded by bookshelves. He pressed in a chink of obsidian and the entire table swung out like a trapdoor. Before I could even register what had just happened, the priest shoved me down into the dark opening.

I screamed as I fell through the air and though it was only seconds, it felt like years were slipping by like the wind through my fingers. Then I splashed into a deep pool of water, shock momentarily paralysing me and rendering me unable to swim as I sank to the bottom.

The priest dove down after me and was able to swim up to the surface with much more ease. Finally coming to my senses with my lungs burning for air, I thrashed my way up above the water, gasping in oxygen greedily as I wiped away the wet ginger hair plastered to my face. The priest had already hauled himself up onto the chiseled stone floor surrounding the pool and was glaring at me like I had done something that wronged him. I felt a twist of fear deep in my heart - I had a feeling that this was not someone I would want as an enemy.

"Give me your hand," the priest demanded as soon as I had climbed out of the water. I cautiously obeyed him and he grabbed my wrist once again, squeezing it tightly as he brought out what looked like a sacrificial dagger. I suppressed a scream as he sliced a strange shield-like symbol into the palm of my hand with the knife, peering at the already-bleeding cuts like how someone would study a particularly interesting bug.

"Ah... I see," the priest muttered. "Insecure, worries often... you suffer from anxiety, don't you?"

"Uh - s-sometimes," I forced the words out, getting increasingly more terrified. "Only when I'm in unfamiliar environments or ar-around new people."

"So why hasn't it come back so hard this time?" the priest narrowed his eyes even further. "Oh... _oh_... I see. No wonder. It seems that your day of death is closer than I originally thought. Pity that your life has to be -"

"Declan!" the priest suddenly jerked away from my hand and I whipped around to see User staring at us both with a look of shock and horror dancing in his eyes. "What the heck are you doing? Leave Twisted alone!"

I felt no shame when I ran over to User, trembling slightly as he picked up my hand with the scar on it, taking one glance at it before glaring angrily at the priest - or Declan as it seemed his name was. "You stay the hell away from him, you hear? He doesn't want any of your prophecy crap and he certainly doesn't need his hand sliced open!"

"I was merely obeying Lord Mianite's orders," Declan's voice was clipped and cold once again.

"Well you can go tell Mianite to go rot in a pile of dung," User hissed. "Because I don't care what kind of crap Mianite wanted you to do, you are _not_ going to hurt or scare my friends in any way! If you do this again, I won't hesitate to slay you for it," User's voice became deathly quiet and with a quick _swish_, we had left Declan's hidden room and were standing back at the Quartz-house, the sun shining brightly once again.

I couldn't help it - I broke down crying, having to sit down on the steps of the Quartz-house mere seconds later because of how badly I was shaking. User sat down next to me and let me lean on his shoulder, massaging my back gently as I sobbed. It was just too scary to know that with only a few drops of my blood, a random stranger had been able to see my deepest secrets, things that I myself didn't know. And the fact that he could tell that I dealt with severe anxiety every time I was around something new - that had hit home in the worst possible place.

"Hey, Twisted, it'll be alright. Dec - he may not be the best of us here, but you shouldn't let anything he says get to you," User tried to reassure me, only to no avail. After finding that his words did no good for my crying wreck, he just went back to physically comforting me.

After some time, I was able to pull myself together. My nerves were a mess and my anxiety had fully set back in. I didn't even want to look at User anymore. I just wanted to go home.

"Twisted? Hey buddy, can you look at me?" User asked softly. I shook my head, staring down at my feet. "Do you want me to take you back home?" I nodded. "Alright, but I'm going to get Tom." At this, I frantically shook my head, but it didn't seem like User much cared for that objection. He wrapped his arm around me to help me to my feet and he led me back to my house, even being gracious enough to make sure I didn't fall while I was going down the ladder. After that, he told me to wait for him to get back, so I lay down in my bed, pulling the covers over my head and trying to think.

So Declan, a creepy priest that I never met before, knew everything about me. He had said that he knew my old name - Jordan Miller. I had never told anyone about that; not since my mother had committed suicide out of grief from my father's death. Most people in Ianarea wouldn't have remembered it anyway. Being a half-wizard, I had aged much more slowly than my friends, and most of them had perished in a giant battle with the sky pirates. Anyone else who knew me before I had started calling myself Twisted had long since died of old age.

He had also known about how insecure I felt. Truth was, I was always scared that I wasn't doing well enough and that if I didn't try my hardest, everyone would hate me. I hadn't even realised it for myself until very recently, when I made a mistake after someone had told me to do something and was getting so worked up about it that I had almost had a panic attack. I even remembered blacking out for a few seconds from the anxiety.

I almost didn't notice when Tom came down the ladder. He was taking soft steps and I flinched slightly as I felt him sit down on the side of my bed. I still had my head buried under the covers and had no intention of coming out.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Tom asked gently.

"No," I mumbled, feeling thoroughly discouraged and wretched.

"Do you want me to stay?"

"W-would you?"

"Of course. I told you I'd always be here if you needed me."

I smiled just a little bit and felt my heart lift. I guess I was truly lucky to have a friend like Tom.

* * *

After another couple of weeks and a bit of showing off building skills in front of Tom during his own building lesson with Waglington, I had completely recovered from any form of anxiety attacks. Tom's quiet encouragement had slowly pried out what was wrong and he had indeed done his best to help me. He was always inviting me to participate in activities and never criticised me harshly if I did something wrong. All in all, he had made such a huge difference in my overall emotional state and I couldn't have thanked him enough.

Now I was strolling around mine and User's new house, that in all honesty, had been just to boast our building skills. But just as we were about to destroy it, Tom intervened, saying how we could live in it. It was nicer than my shack, I'd admit, but I felt a bit hurt that Tom wouldn't have wanted me to stay in the home he'd built.

"Twisted," I heard Tom call from outside the house. "I have something to show you!" I wasted no time in sprinting out of the house and practically ran into Tom, who was standing just outside the door. He laughed and had to grab onto my shoulder to steady himself. "Enthusiastic, much?" he teased.

"What is it?" I asked enthusiastically. By the look on Tom's face, it couldn't have been anything bad.

"Just come with me!" he encouraged. I saw a suspicious gleam and realised that there was a diamond sword resting on Tom's leg from where it hung in a sheath. I didn't pay much mind to it and followed Tom as he led me down the hill and into the entrance of his old base. He paused at the Nether portal and I began to feel a bit nervous. I had mentioned before this that I wasn't comfortable with going to the Nether - did Tom have something he wanted me to see in there?

"It'll be alright, Twisted," Tom sounded like he was trying to reassure himself as well. "We'll be in and out in a flash."

"Alright," I mumbled, not at all excited anymore. "I trust you, Tom."

Tom's eyes flashed with an unidentifiable emotion and he visibly swallowed. Before I could ask what all that was about, he had wrapped his arm around my shoulders and stepped into the portal, forcing me to go along with him. The portal moulded itself around us and the world swam for a few seconds before fading into a dimension of lava and fire.

_Welcome to the Nether._

Tom almost had to pull me out of the gel-like portal, face filled with worry and something like... regret? I was legitimately petrified from being in the realm of the god who had destroyed my home. I hadn't realised just how terrified I had actually become of Dianite, and could barely keep my limbs from locking up.

"Tom," I whispered, my face ashen grey. I was too scared even to tremble, and Tom hesitated as though considering just taking me back home. Instead, he didn't answer and practically carried me through the hills of gritty Netherrack. I saw a few ghasts and blazes staring at us from a distance but none of them approached us. In fact, they seemed to be like guards, escorting us to the king of their realm.

It wasn't long before a massive Nether brick structure appeared from the red haze that lay over the Nether. There was no doubt that it was Dianite's temple, and Tom had to lead me down a treacherous path to get to the bridge that led over the ocean of lava. It seemed like with each passing breath I took, the feeling of power surrounded the temple intensified to yet another degree. I was sweating, but I also felt chills running up and down my spine from the sheer terror of facing the demon who destroyed my life before Mianite.

Tom laid down his sword right as we got to the bridge and I cast him a terrified glance, wondering what the heck he thought he was doing. "Dianite - he doesn't like to think that I could threaten him. And besides, we aren't here to fight."

I wanted to ask what we _were_ here for then, but it seemed that my thoughts and my mouth were no longer connected. Tom walked me into Dianite's temple and I froze when I saw the devil-god sprawled casually on his obsidian throne, glaring at me through marbled white eyes.

"So Syndicate," Dianite drawled, sounding emotionless and uninterested. "This is your new friend, eh? The one you've told me about?" Tom nodded silently, avoiding Dianite's gaze, but I was in a state of shock, staring at the devil with fear dancing on my face. "Seems pretty useless, if you ask me."

Tom flinched but stayed quiet, not bothering to come to my defense. A deep rooted fear began to curl around my stomach and for the first time since Tom had introduced himself to me, I began to doubt him.

"Weak," Dianite stood up from his throne and stalked over to me. "Pitiful," he hissed, grabbing my shoulder with one clawed hand and lifting my chin with the other to make sure I was looking at him in the eyes. "An overall waste of space."

I flinched back, almost stumbling over my own feet. _Get away, get away, I have to get away, _I repeated over and over in my mind. This was the god who had murdered all of my friends standing right here in front of me, staring me in the face and calling me worthless. Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes and my breath caught in my throat, creating a strangled half-sob.

"Get this pile of _trash_ out of my sight," Dianite snorted, grabbing the collar of my cow hide, his claws tearing the soft leather as he hoisted my up. I struggled, choking out more horrible noises of fear.

"My lord, please! He's scared!" Tom finally protested in my defense. "You destroyed his hometown - at least cut him some slack. And you said to bring him here anyway - I did what you said!"

Dianite shot Tom a sideways glance and for a moment, I couldn't tell what he was thinking. "If I killed the rest of the people in that disgusting village of Ianite," he slowly growled, "then this useless creature may as well have joined them... _when I first attacked!" _The Nether king's voice rose to a roar and he flung me out of the temple with a mighty toss, with enough momentum to send me flying over the bridge and painfully crashing into a small wall of Netherrack. I howled as I felt something snap inside my body and curled up on myself in pain, hyperventilating and in danger of the most severe panic-slash-anxiety attack yet.

"Twisted!" Tom shouted, and I heard his footsteps rapidly approacing where I lay gasping on the Netherrack. Tears were streaming down my face now and I yelped as he gently rested his hand on my ribcage.

"Oh Notch, I'm sorry Twisted!" Tom's words frantically tumbled out of his mouth, going so quickly I could barely understand him. "I don't - I didn't think -"

"Just get the hell away from me, Tom!" I screamed, ignoring the pain in my chest and shoving him away as forcefully as possible. Tom stared at me with shock and hurt dancing in his eyes, but I was too upset to care. Here, I thought the hybrid zombie-man was my _friend_ \- but he had betrayed me, forced me to meet his god. And he hadn't even told me he was a follower of Dianite! I felt a dark empty feeling take over my heart at Tom's betrayal of my trust.

"Twist-"

"No! I don't care! I can find my own way home, just _go away_!" I snapped, voice cracking near the end of my sentence. Tom gasped, pain and some other heartfelt emotion written on his face before turning his back to me and running away, leaving both his diamond sword - and our friendship - behind.

* * *

_Why the hell did I do that? Why? _I muttered to myself in my head. I had retreated to a small alcove near the Nether fortress to mull over my own thoughts and beat myself up for even thinking that taking Twisted into the Nether would have been a good idea.

Dianite had of course wanted to inspect Twisted to see if he was worthy of me 'fawning over him', as the Nether king described. I had blushed, but of course, agreed. Surely Dianite would give him a chance.

But of course, that had led to me cursing myself for being so stupid. What had I been thinking? Dianite was not a merciful god!

"I'm an idiot," I hissed, rubbing my eyes with my fist. "Twisted probably hates me now." I remembered the look of mistrust and hurt shining clear in his eyes and how betrayal rang clear as he shouted at me.

_"Go away!"_

And Dianite had been right on one thing - I was fawning over the half-wizard. I wasn't sure why, but after spending some time around him, I had begun to find his shyness adorable and his talent as a person with magical energy intriguing. We had gotten along so well, and he had seemed to enjoy my company just as much as I did.

_"Get the hell away from me, Tom!"_

I sniffled, heart aching just to go back in time and ditch the whole thing. Even Dianite's rage couldn't hurt as much as this. What if I had ruined my only chance of friendship with Twisted?

"Idiot," I whispered again, though this time it lacked the anger that it previously had. Out of frustration, I grabbed a loose Nether brick and threw it as far as I could.

My eyes widened as I heard an angry squeal from a pigman in the direction I had thrown the brick.

_Shit!_

I saw a hoard of pigmen rushing at me and instinctively reached for my sword. Instead, my hand only closed around empty air - I had left the sword back at Dianite's temple. So I did the only thing I could do in the situation: run. My feet skidded against the gritty Netherrack as I tore back down the direction I had come, the pigmen now only a few steps behind.

"Help!" I screamed, panic clouding my mind and sending irrational thoughts to my brain. There was no one to help me here - Dianite wouldn't care if I lived or died to his mobs and Twisted certainly wasn't going to be my knight in shining armour - at least, not after what I had done. So that left me weaponless and alone, running for my life against angry pigmen who were much better suited to navigating the treacherous trails of the Nether than I was. I kept losing my footing on the unstable grit and the heat on the ground was burning the soles of my feet, even through my shoes. However, the pigmen had heavy enough builds to keep themselves steady on the shifting ground and enough speed to catch up despite their weight.

I stumbled as I hit a wide patch of soul sand and a pigman's golden sword grazed my arm, slicing open a long cut in my skin. I cried out and fell, unable to keep on running because of the shock of being hurt - and this sword must have been enchanted too, for it stung too much to have been dealt by a normal gold weapon.

And within the single moment that I was down on the sucking sand, the whole herd of pigmen were upon me.

My screams echoed around the fiery cavern, my tuxedo ripped and torn by the countless mobs brutalising me. Pain exploded in every area pf my body and I quickly stopped struggling, focusing instead on shielding my face and neck with already cut and bleeding arms. The pigmen's squeals grew louder and I thought for sure that this - _this_ \- dying to a herd of pigmen, must be my end. I was already starting to feel dizzy from the blood loss, and a sword was brought stabbing into my gut, making me black out for a few seconds from the pain. My newest wound had definitely pierced something internal and I felt blood catch around the edges of my throat.

The squeals abruptly faded away, but I was in too much agony to notice, coughing up flecks of blood onto the dragging soul sand, my light brown hair plastered to my forehead with more blood. I heard a soft _shink _and a clatter of breaking glass near my face and a warm feeling spread over my body as something cool and minty-smelling came in contact with my skin. The pain numbed and I shakily reached down to feel the wound in my gut. It had melted into a shallow scab on my skin, even though the tuxedo itself was still a horrific shade of scarlet.

I slowly turned my head to look at my saviour and my jaw dropped open in shock. There was Twisted, his eyes cold and unforgiving, with my sword in his hand, adorned with freshly glittering blood. He tossed the sword at me and it landed next to me head in the soul sand.

"You should remember your weapons when run off in the Nether," Twisted told me, speaking in the most monotone voice I had ever heard. It hurt to know that I had driven him to this; to have to seal off all emotions towards me, but yet still be there to help. I scrambled to my feet as he turned his back to me, about to walk away without another word.

"Wait!" I called out after Twisted and he hesitated just long enough for me to reach him and grab his shoulders, spinning him around to face me. He stared at me with quizzical eyes and a moment of lightheadedness came over me. A deep feeling in the pit of my stomach urged my instinct onwards for what I knew in my heart had to be done.

I didn't know what came over me, or even how I felt when I realised what was happening.

I wrapped my arms around Twisted and pulled his face close to mine, pushing my lips against his in a moment of passion. Twisted first tensed, then leaned into the kiss, sliding his arms around my own and holding onto the back of my neck as I leaned forwards further, melting into the moment. His lips were smooth and tasted slightly salty from tears, and I allowed myself to lose myself in the feeling. There had to be no doubt in this - this was our moment; our time. I could hear his heartbeat, rapid from excitement, and thought giddily that maybe, just maybe, he felt the same way.

Then Twisted suddenly broke away from our kiss, eyes flying open and gasping as he brought his hand up to his mouth. My lips tingled and my body urged for more, but when I tried to kiss Twisted again, he shoved me away, shock and fear brimming in his eyes. I felt an ache in my chest as I gazed at him in bewilderment, watching as he stumbled backwards, shaking with barely contained tears.

"Get away from me," he whispered, turning around and running off without a backwards glance.

I stared brokenly after him and felt my heart snap in two.

After a few minutes I finally shook myself out of my stupor and realised that I was crying. I forced myself to pick up my sword, my mind clouded with hurt and tears occasionally tracing their way down my cheeks. What had I been thinking? I just up and kissed Twisted, acting purely on instinct - and I hadn't even bothered to consider how much he may have hated me already. Now he may never talk to me again.

It was a long walk back to the Nether portal and I trudged through the gel-like substance, feeling like I just wanted to stay in the portal forever and let it consume me. I was at my lowest low right now. Twisted hadn't even asked me why I did it. He had just... run off. Left me broken-hearted, as it were.

The memory of his cheerful smile taunted me now. His laugh was like nails against slate. His kiss - left me with my heart snapped. It hurt too much, far too much for it just to be a silly crush. I couldn't make him see that I loved him, and I sobbed, stumbling out of the portal and slumping down against the wall of the corridor that I had led Twisted down just a few hours earlier. Now, I didn't know if he would ever trust me again.

I stumbled to my feet and tripped over my own feet on the way out of the passage. I paused at the gravel and cobblestone path up to Twisted and User's mushroom house, silently wondering if I dared to confront him so soon after the kiss. I made up my mind and began to climb the path up to their house, beginning to hear talking and crying coming from inside. I hesitated again before softly knocking on the door twice, not even bothering to brace myself for possible rejection.

"Go away!" I heard a muffled shout from inside the house, as well as a loud crash. I waited for a few more seconds before User flung open the door, his eyes filled with annoyance that quickly changed to hatred when he saw me.

"Twisted doesn't want to speak with you right now," User told me harshly, words clipped and spiked with rage. He slammed the door in my face and I flinched, listening closely as the crying grew louder and less controlled. I knocked again, stomach churning and more tears pricking the corners of my eyes. User opened the door again, but this time, he grabbed my by the collar of my undershirt and pushed his face as close to mine as possible without touching.

"Listen to me," he hissed, having to bend down slightly, seeing as he was quite a bit taller than I was. "I don't know what the hell you did to Twisted to make him so upset, but you can be sure that as soon as I find out, you are _dead_." With that, User shoved me away as hard as he could before slamming the door yet again, and I fell to the ground, staring at the house with a wounded expression.

And then my already broken heart shattered into a thousand irreparable pieces.

* * *

I had been in sort of a trance after Tom took me to the Nether, betrayed my trust, and then kissed me. I didn't remember anything else that had happened that day, but User was furious and Tom apparently had locked himself in his house. I didn't even want talk to anyone about it, but my throat had been raw like I had been crying. User and I hadn't spoken much in the couple days after, and he kept muttering under his breath - something about slitting Tom's throat and tossing him in a river. It almost scared me until I reminded myself that Tom had betrayed me, then committed to an act of love. I was unsure of how to feel about him any more other than just... hurt.

I remembered how bright and cheery he had been when first welcoming me to the world. I remembered his understanding patience when I told him about my anxiety. And I also remembered the shattered look in his eyes when I had torn away from our kiss.

There had been a deep craving tugging at my stomach during the kiss, as if I was being urged onward. It made me lose myself, my thoughts, my entire _being_ just so I could experience the passion and the drive that fueled me and made me want more. Even after I had pulled away, Tom had also leaned forwards, as if to kiss me again.

But then the feelings of betrayal and hurt kicked back in and whatever had me making me strive for more than just a petty kiss were lost, buried deep. I had shoved Tom away and... I couldn't remember much after that. And of course, it may have been because I didn't want to. I recalled faint knocking and loud shouts of anger, but the rest of the night had been lost to a haze of nothingness.

But whenever I thought back to the kiss, I couldn't help but recall that strange urge that told me to just forget my feelings and embrace the love Tom had clearly shown for me. I wasn't sure if it was that I loved him back because right now, my head and my heart just couldn't get along. My head told me not to trust Tom and that he had only wanted to gain my trust so he could hurt me. But my heart said that he truly did love me and that I should love him back. It was the worst kind of conflict, and it hurt to realise that it might stay this way for me for a long time.

I shook my head, dismissing my contradictory thoughts on Tom and decided that one of the best ways to sort my problem out might be talking to the one and only follower of the peace goddess - Jordan.

I made my way over to Jordan's house, forcing the memory of Tom calling it _Crapa de Sparklez_ out of my mind. I had to stop thinking about him, as the situation would surely get worse for me if thoughts of the zombie hybrid kept drifting through my head. I knocked on Jordan's door, though slightly hesitant, as I wasn't sure what I would even say once the problem was brought up. I caught a glimpse of the young man through the large windows on either side of the door and he opened the door, smiling when he saw me, although the joy didn't reach to his worried eyes.

"Nice to see you, Twisted," Jordan greeted, sounding as though it was forced. "What did you need?"

"To talk," I swallowed back my nervousness and cut straight to the point. "About Tom. I - I needed to talk to someone who might be able to help me sort out how I feel."

Jordan's expression immediately softened and he ushered me inside, waving me towards a pastel couch in his living room while he closed the door. I peered curiously at a jungle tree that was growing straight through the floor and only forced my attention away from it when Jordan sat down in the couch perpendicular to mine.

"So what all happened?" Jordan prompted, staring at me curiously behind his sunglasses. I took a deep breath, deciding to start with Tom taking me into the Nether.

Over the course of the next several minutes, I told Jordan what had happened; Dianite scaring me before tossing me out, snapping a rib, me making up my mind to go after Tom after downing half a healing potion, saving his life from a hoard of pigmen, and even our kiss. I didn't mention the fact that I had enjoyed it though - rather, I merely said that I had shoved him away after he tried to kiss me again. I felt bad lying, but I wasn't ready to tell Jordan about the probability that I may be - well - gay. Bad enough that Tom was and that he was attracted to me.

Jordan already had a smile playing on his face by the time I finished my story and I had to admit, I was slightly confused as to what he was thinking. "So..." he paused, taking his time to get to the point. "Tom likes you, huh? He's no fool, Twisted. His actions are his thoughts. If he kissed you, then he meant it and there's no two ways about it when it comes to Tom."

"But what do I do?" I sighed, placing my hands on the sides of my head and resting my elbows on my knees. "How do I speak to him anymore? He thinks I hate him, I don't know how I feel, and you say he loves me."

"I _know_ he loves you," Jordan corrected. "And all you have to do is say to him that whatever happened between you two - you don't hate him for it. You just need time to sort your own feelings out."

"I guess," I mumbled, not very enthused by the idea. Sure, it would be simple, but what if Tom wouldn't take that as an answer? What if he wanted more than what I could offer him as an explanation at this moment?

Did I want to _give_ him more was the real question here.

And I had no answer to that for anyone who may have asked.

* * *

Food - nah, it wasn't necessary. Talking with friends - they were worrying that something was wrong since I hadn't come out of my house at all these past few days, but they would be fine. Sleep - sleep only brought nightmares when I needed rest, so it was useless as well.

But I needed a distraction. Something to take my mind off Twisted. Something dull and monotonous that would lull me into a droning state.

Mining should do the trick for that quite nicely.

I grabbed my diamond pick and slung an iron shovel over my shoulder. I buckled on my belt with my sword already clipped on, my mind dully fogged over. I couldn't feel emotions anymore, as it seemed that the heartbreak was finally getting to me. I couldn't feel sadness that Twisted had rejected me, I couldn't feel hunger even though I hadn't eaten in almost five days, and I couldn't even feel lonely because of how badly I had been shattered. Life dragged on, day after day. Routine kept me from staying in my bed to waste away, but heartbreak pulled me down, reducing me to unstable tears several times a day.

Twisted hated me. I was stupid for ever believing a kiss could change that. I paused as I was about to leave the house, wondering for a second if going outside was worth it. There was always the chance that I would see Twisted, or even just one of my other friends. I hesitated because I doubted myself. I wasn't sure if I would be able to keep myself together. I wasn't sure if I would just lose control and either attempt to hurt myself out of grief or do the complete opposite.

Either way, I had to go out sometime, so I opened the door, thankfully not seeing anyone before I descended into the darkness of the cave I usually mined in, noting the position of the sun in the sky showing that it was mid-afternoon.

Ores were bountiful in the cave and I found the sharp_ clink_ of my pickaxe against the minerals soothing, in an odd way. With each beat of the tool, my thoughts strayed back to Twisted, seeking a comfort that common sense told me I could never find.

_Clink_

_"I bet I can out-build you," Twisted teased me, eyes glinting with humour as I struggled to build a simple house under the guidance of Waglington._

_Clink_

_His eyes shone with tears as he choked out what had happened between himself and Dec that had driven him to be lying in his bed, crying his eyes out while I did my best to comfort and reassure him._

_Clink_

_"Get away from me," he whispered, the moment he had withdrawn from our kiss in the Nether._

_Clink_

_"Get away from me."_

_Clink_

_"Get away!"_

_Tha-chunk_

I let out a heartbroken sob, the pickaxe clattering to the ground. Who was I kidding? I couldn't get over Twisted that easily. I loved him. And he hated me. I had gone and screwed everything up and now Twisted hated me.

_Why was I such an idiot?_

The new question rang through my mind as I slumped to the ground, the sounds of my crying echoing loudly in the torch-lit cavern around me. If I wasn't so dim-witted, this whole situation wouldn't have even happened. Heck, Twisted and I might have been dating by now. But _no_, being the idiot I was, I had to ruin everything.

I dragged myself to my feet, grabbing my pick and choosing a tunnel to go down at random. The cool air in the cave suddenly seemed stifling and the shadows dancing at the edges of the torchlight seemed filled with malice, beckoning me to come over to them and just fade away into them. To be honest, I was considering it.

_I need to get out of this cave._

I sighed and decided the quickest way out wold just be to mine up to the surface. My rucksack was weighed down with ores, though no diamonds this time, and I was nearing the end of the torched up area. I swung my pick at the wall and the stone crumbled under the sharp edge, chipping off in stinging shrapnel.

It took a while to mine all the way up to the surface and when I finally broke through, wet sand cascaded onto my head and shoulders. I spluttered, spitting out the grit while more rain fell on my head, noticing the distinct lack of light from the sky. It must have been around midnight by now and the mobs would be out. I silently thanked the gods that I had remembered to bring my sword and lightly rested my hand on the pommel, ready to pull it out at a moment's notice if need be.

Surprisingly, by the time I had made my way up to the top of the sand, there were only a few zombies several yards away. They didn't even notice me, so I just snuck quietly past them, recognising the area I was in. It was fairly close to the wizard's pyramid and I decided just to camp out there for the night, since it would be dryer than out here in the pouring rain.

It didn't take long for me to make it to the pyramid and I darted into the upper room with a faint sigh of relief. Torches surrounded the temple, keeping the dry sandstone floor warm, but not hot as it would have been earlier today. I let my tools and weapon fall to the ground with a clatter and stripped off the black jacket of my tuxedo, wringing it out and tossing it closer to one of the torches to dry off. My tie soon followed it and I hesitated before unbuttoning my undershirt, peeling the soaked piece of clothing off and shivering as droplets of water ran down my bare back. I ran my hand through my hair, ruffling it up into wet spikes and glanced down at my chest, tracing a finger over the small scar just above my heart.

I hadn't always been like this; half-zombie. Someone or something had infected me a long time ago, and the only proof I had of that was the faint white scar, barely visible against my pale human skin, but showing out in a bright contrast next to the darker green flesh. Thankfully, the infection hadn't changed much more than my skin tone - the worst it had done was make me a bit sluggish during the day, but that was about it.

I sighed, reclining back against the pale wall of the temple, resting one hand over my stomach and leaning my head back until it bumped into the sandstone. I relaxed, closed my eyes, and listened to the screaming of the wind.

Strange... it hadn't even been that windy out...

Then a piercing shriek shot through the night and my eyes flew open, gasping as I realised that it hadn't been the wind; _there was someone out there!  
_I darted to my feet and grabbed my overcoat, hurriedly tossing it on before grabbing my sword and sprinting out into the night. No matter how retched I was feeling, I would never leave someone in pain.

I ran towards the direction of the scream, instantly getting drenched again as soon as I left the safety of the pyramid, and saw a hoard of skeletons, spiders, and zombies all clustering around a small area. The sharp tang of blood split the air and I winced, shuddering as I realised how badly wounded this person must be for me to smell the blood through the damp air. I wasted no time in attacking the mobs, hacking away at their limbs before they switched their attention to me. It didn't take long for me to thin down the attackers to just a few spiders, who scuttled off when I swung at them. Panting slightly from the strenuous exertion, I glanced around for the person who had been attacked, freezing as I recognised the bloodied shape on the ground.

It was Twisted - there was no doubt about that - and he had his eyes tightly shut, breathing laboured as the rain splattered on his wounds, sending light red trails of bloody water trickling down his sides. His cow hide suit was torn by pincers and sword slashes, and there was an arrow buried deep in his stomach. I felt sick as I remembered how I had been in a similar situation not that long ago, but had been saved by a healing potion. Now... there was nothing.

At a loss of anything else to do, I slowly knelt down beside Twisted and slipped one arm under his shoulder blades and the other under his knees. I picked him up as gently as possible, legs shaking a bit from the weight. I carried him back to the pyramid and swallowed back the fear in my stomach. His wounds were very severe and he hadn't even groaned whilst I was carrying him; showing that he was almost too far unconscious to even consider saving.

But I had to try. After all, I still loved him.

The rain had cleaned all of the injuries save for one; the arrow stuck in his stomach. I took a shaky breath and slipped my rucksack of my shoulder, searching for anything that may be of use. There was some iron, a bit of gold, a couple arrows from a skeleton that I had attacked earlier, gunpowder, string...

My breath hitched as I stared at the arrows and string. I could maybe use the flint to help with getting the arrowhead out and the string for sewing up the wound. It was a long shot, but I just had to cross my fingers and hope.

I soon found that I would have to cut away a part of Twisted's suit and I sawed it off using the flint, which I had detached from the arrow itself. I felt like retching when I stared at the edges of the injury, half-dried blood and pus welling up around the shaft of the arrow. It was disgusting, but I used the soft hide that I had cut away to wipe off some of the nasty gunk. I decided that the best way to go about removing the arrow was to widen the puncture just enough to make sure that I wouldn't tear any skin when I pulled out the arrowhead. I gingerly slit open about an inch of skin around the wound and forced back my disgust as I dug my fingers far enough to where they brushed part of the arrowhead, closing my eyes as I pulled it out, the arrow still intact and dripping with blood.

Twisted whimpered and he shifted slightly, as though in pain. I couldn't blame him for it - but I was far too focused on my task at hand. More blood and pus was oozing from the open cut and I grabbed the flint I had used, smashing it against the sandstone floor and shattering it into needle-like shards. I grabbed the longest and thinnest one I could find and wrapped a bit of spider string around it, testing to make sure it was secure.

My hands weren't even shaking any more as I began to sew up the wound as best I could with makeshift materials. Twisted was continuously moving around now, letting out occasional moans of agony, which made it harder for me to work. He stilled for a second and I stole a quick glance at his face, freezing as I realised his eyes were open and that he was staring at me.

I could imagine what it must be like for him - he wakes up in pain to find none other than me, the person he hates most, wearing just my overcoat, stitching up a wound in his stomach. I felt guilt fill my heart and I turned away from his piercing brown gaze, silently continuing my work.

"Tom?" he rasped, his normally calm voice filled with a tight hurt. "Why...?"

"Because I love you," I mumbled, finishing the job and tying off the ends of the string. It had gotten sloppy near the end of the incision and I silently cursed myself for not paying better attention to the task. "And I understand that you don't feel the same way, but I still do love you."

"I didn't know how I felt," Twisted admitted after a few seconds. "I wasn't sure whether to feel betrayed or - or embrace it. I'm so sorry that I hurt you."

"No," I shook my head mournfully, tears brimming in my eyes again. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have acted like that. It was -"

"Amazing," Twisted interrupted and I cast a surprised glance at him, seeing a playful look dancing in his eyes - a look that I had missed for so long. "Tom, I know how I feel now. A-and... I love you too."

I was shocked for a few seconds, my mind trying to process what he had just said. Twisted... loved me back?

_Twisted loved me back!_

Happiness lifted my heart and I leaned over, wrapping my arms around Twisted and engaging him into our second kiss together... only this time, we both knew that this was what we wanted. We both _needed_ even. Twisted closed his eyes and kissed me back, a tear slipping down his cheek.

I lifted my head up for just a second, smiling at Twisted. But the smile quickly changed to an expression of fear when he didn't show any response. I hurriedly held my hand over his heart, desperately listening for some sort of beat.

Nothing.

My true love had died in my arms just moments after he had confessed his own love for me.

I let out a strangled sob and the final bits of my shattered heart were reduced to nothing more than fine dust.

_Twisted was dead._

**Oh my shite... that was just - just - *bursts out crying*  
**

**12,500 words. I hope you're happy. I've been neglecting Magic to bring you this masterpiece of heartbreak.**

**I cri e'rey tiem... these feels are just... too feelsy. Way too much for my poor little Ender heart to handle.  
**


	14. Leave Me Behind

**Hey y'all, it's Ender! I hope you're having a great day and I hope to make it even better with this new one-shot! NOTE: I do ****not**** own Minecraft, Mianite, any YouTubers mentioned, and really, I don't own anything except this story. CONTAINS SEASON TWO FINALE SPOILERS!  
**

_Leave Me Behind_

The end drew nigh too soon  
The laughter stopped, the trolls destroyed  
Sorrow fell upon the land  
Cracks split open to the Void  
Long lost heroes came back once more  
Volcanoes roared and comets hissed  
Faithful friends bade farewell  
Many people will be missed  
Gaines sent them on their final quest  
To save the god, dead for long  
The grey assassin who took his life  
Repented to make his objective strong  
Across the land magic whispered  
Misty tendrils withdrawing close  
Curled inside the wizard's bodies  
Giving a last hope to their host  
They trembled as the ground was shaking  
The stars came near to their first dwelling  
They cried their last and said farewell  
And took off, rocket-fire propelling  
The heroes gathered once more 'round  
A long awaited sight to see  
A portal that would take them out  
Of their land of misery  
Craters now stood for their homes  
Fires burned on explosion ashes  
Fresh bones had littered all the streets  
Impacted from the comet crashes  
A blaze of flame tore across the night  
The heroes whipped around to see  
The wizards of their land retreating  
In their final show of glory  
Deep breath taken, hold your hands  
Stare into the dark unknown  
For we know not what lies ahead  
Just that we will not be alone  
Sparklez standing strong and proud  
Beaten from his Lady's death  
Syndicate for one last cry  
Here to see his god's new breath  
Jericho the first servant  
Of the slain god Mianite  
Firefoxx the true of heart  
Embracing the enclosing night  
Waglington the mighty wizard  
Faced hardships unlike any other  
Finding his place in this new land  
A struggle overcome alongside another  
They stared into the deep abyss  
New friends breathing unsteady  
The world explodes in around them  
There is no time for 'are you ready'  
The final leap  
Of faith, no lack  
One last breath...  
_And desolate black_

**I made this sound a hell of a lot more feelsy than it actually was. 6/10, they could have done better. At least they tried.**


	15. Buried, Falling, and Drowning

**Hey y'all, it's Ender! NOTE: I do ****not**** own Minecraft, Mianite, any YouTubers mentioned, and really, I don't own anything except this story. This is a tribute to my best friends on Fanfiction, Diamond (DiamondOasis37) and Qwerty (TheAmazingQwerty) and I recommend listening to the music suggested for each of the sections to best fit the mood. Also, this a (late) birthday present to Qwerty - so happy birthday again!  
**

* * *

_**Beautiful Mind - Travis A. King**_

_Buried_

I wake up to the sound of seagulls and salty waves washing over my body. My hair is sticky and damp and there is gritty sand stuck to my face. When I open my eyes and look around, I see that I am on a lonesome island with just a single palm tree for company.

I slowly get up and brush off some of the sand stuck to my clothes. I walk around the island, taking in the endless ocean blue and the clear and cloudless sky. Then I hear footsteps and a surprised exclamation.

I turn around to see a young man dressed in a cow's hide, staring at me in amazement. I cautiously ask his name, to which he responds that it is Twisted. I tell him mine is Diamond and he shyly offers to take me to meet his friend, who is mining in their home. I agree readily and he leads me into a hole in the sand that I somehow didn't notice before.

The cave is not at all like I expected; it has smooth dry walls and is warmly lit, with tunnels leading down and into other rooms. I see another young man, this time wearing a dark blue jacket with gold trim, emerge from one of the tunnels. He greets me and I notice that he has a slight stutter. I ask him about it and he flinches, saying that it's something he'd rather not talk about. Then I notice the scar on his throat and assume that he must have been attacked by something, the way the scars are shaped.

Twisted tells me that the young man's name is User, and he prefers not to talk. I nod, understanding, and Twisted says that if I would like to live with them on this island, they would be more than happy to welcome me. I agree wholeheartedly, though even I can't understand my eagerness towards staying with these two.

Though I feel sure that will come in time.

And time goes on. Twisted and I grow closer and even User comes out of his shell to strike up a friendly conversation. We mine as a group, laughing and chatting away as our supplies of minerals grows bountiful and we burn through pickaxe after pickaxe collecting the valuable resources.

Rarely do we go above the surface, all of us preferring the safety and the darkness of the caves. But when we do go up to the surface, just Twisted and I one night, the stars are out and the gorgeous full moon is shining down on us. I am enchanted by the crystals in the sky and as a cold breeze sweeps over the island, Twisted pulls me close to him. I lean against his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat.

Tha-thum, tha-thum, tha-thum

Over and over, the perfect example of the rhythm of life. Steady and strong, just like Twisted. Never failing, never ceasing, echoing within all things. My own beat matches it and our hearts beat steadily in rhythm. Twisted glances at me and gently says that our hearts are beating for each other and that is why they are so perfectly matched. I blush, but before I can lose my courage, I reach up and give Twisted a gentle kiss. He leans into my kiss and we can both feel the beat of our lives echoing steadily in our ears.

Time passes.

I'm now married to Twisted. He proposed to me with a carefully crafted ring made of the diamonds and gold that we mined together and I accepted without a doubt in my heart.

It has been raining for days above ground now. User is worried and tells us not to go mining near any unstable areas of dirt. I can see the challenge and defiance in Twisted's eyes though; he doesn't say anything, but I know he wants to prove to User that everything is fine.

Later that day, Twisted invites me to go mining with him and I readily accept. We dig deep into the earth and find a bountiful vein of gold. As we are mining it out and talking merrily with each other, I hear a rumble from above. Dirt starts raining from the roof and I scream, hurling myself at Twisted, who is frozen in shock. A pointed rock suddenly falls from the ceiling. It strikes him on the head and he wails in pain.

He sinks to his knees and holds me tightly against him. I'm crying as mud and dirt continue to fall and rocks strike us, carving deep gouges into our skin.

Twisted tells me he loves me as the cavern starts to finally collapse in around us. I can hear his heartbeat again. It's frantic now, unsteady and shaky. Mine mimics it.

And as the mud buries us alive, still holding each other tightly, I whisper that I love him back.

Because even though they beat no longer, our hearts were made to beat for each other.

* * *

_**"No Time Like Now - Utopian Sounds"**_

_Falling_

I sit in the twisting branches of a tall evergreen that stretches to the sky, brushing the tips of cotton clouds with bristling needles. I inhale deeply, taking in the sharp, pinecone smell of the tree and the more syrupy scent of the pine sap.

I suddenly hear a whisper below me and I glance down to the earth far below. My heart almost stops as I see an - admittedly - handsome young man dressed in a purple-grey cloak at the bottom of the tree. He stares up at me as amusement sparks in his ruby-red eyes. He calls up to me and I almost melt at the sound of his smooth, English-accented voice. He asks if I think I am a bird and I summon the sense to call back that do I look like I have feathers. He laughs and suddenly, without even touching the tree, rises up into the air, slipping into a cross-legged sitting position.

My shock is replaced with wonder when he answers my unspoken question: he is a wizard. A fairly young one he admits, and tells me his name is Waglington, but to call him Wag for short. I introduce myself as Qwerty.

He takes me back to his home, a tall tower on a lonely hill. It overlooks other houses that belong to the mortals, as Wag tells me. He tells me I can build my own house amongst them or stay to live with him. I don't have to think long before I answer that I would like to live with him. He smiles quite happily and I blush at his endearing expression.

He teaches me magic and I grow to have feelings more than friendship for him during our time together. He seems to as well, and blushes profusely whenever I tease him. It thus leads on to more teasing and more blushing - from the both of us.

We spend our days together, crafting magic from the elements. I am excellent at earth and water magic, while Wag is more able to control wind and fire. We become powerful together, each helping the other.

Oftentimes during spells and projects, our hands will brush against the others. Wag then will take it as a signal and holds my hand for the rest of the day. I feel that was not surprised when one night, after completing a particularly difficult spell together, I made the bold move to lean over and kiss him.

From then on, we make it clear that we love each other. Our hands intertwine commonly now and oftentimes, a kiss will follow.

One early evening, we go back to the tree where we first met, hand in hand. We fly to the farthest branch that will support our weight and stargaze. Soon, Wag has his arms wrapped tightly around me as I lean on his shoulder.

But I recline too far and before I could even blink, we were falling.

We are crashing through too many branches to be able to gain the concentration to fly and Wag's scream is enough to make my heart break. Wizards would not be invincible towards falling... and I know this will be our final moments together.

We're still falling.

I wrap my arms tightly around his chest to pull him in for one last kiss. A tear trickles down my cheek and Wag's screams fade into nothing as death looms no more than heartbeat away.

I whisper 'I love you' to him.

He whispers 'I love you' back to me.

There is a sickening crash and then...

Darkness.

* * *

_**Laced In Love - (Stripped Mix) Travis A. King**_

_Drowning_

I run through the fields of blue orchids and white daisies as the sunlight streams down in golden rivers through the air. Insects are stirred up by my light footfalls as I crest the grassy hill and gasp in amazement at the sight that lies before me.

A shining white tower, surrounded by moats filled with crystal clear water, looms in front of me, practically glowing all on its own. It's made of dazzling gold, gleaming ruby, and deep sapphire.

It is... beautiful.

I hear voices talking faintly from inside the tower, and even from how far away I stand, I can clearly define a crisp British accent in the voices. My eyes travel up the tower and spot a wizard in a black and blue cloak flying around, diamond coloured sparks trailing behind him. There were two other wizards sitting on the top of the tower, though I can't see what they look like from where I stand.

I walk into the tower and am greeted by another two wizards. One, who calls himself Matt, is wearing a full suit of armour as though prepared for battle. But he is friendly, and gives me a warm welcome. The other, who says his name is Phil, wears a mask and is a bit more cautious, but is willing to give me a chance. They take me up the tower by means of a strange device that makes us fly, and show me around the second level. It is as grand as the first, and half the room is home to a glorious chandelier with candles like I have never seen.

The blue and black cloaked wizard from earlier comes in and introduces himself as Tom. He is quite funny and gives me a ridiculous bow, accidentally dropping his wand in the process. He only smiles when I laugh at him, and I can definitely tell that he is used to this.

As I am led further up the tower, I meet another wizard in a purple-grey cloak. He is very quiet, and Matt tells me that his name is Wag and he usually prefers to be left alone. I nod, understanding, and we leave Wag be.

At the very top of the tower, we find the last two wizards sitting on the edge of the tower. They stand up and introduce themselves as Twisted and User. Twisted wears a cow skin and all you can see are his eyes and mouth, but he is very polite and welcoming. User has on a dark blue coat and has sparkling brown eyes; he never stops smiling while we talk together.

I am invited to join the wizards in their tower to practice magic and I agree readily. Although I am not a wizard myself, something makes me want to stay.

Maybe it's User.

As the months go on, I begin to learn magic. First how to fly, then how to summon, and then to teleport. Although everyone pitches in to help me learn, User volunteers most often. He and I talk after our lessons - we sit on the edge of the tower and talk about our lives, our friends, and the world. I love these conversations. User is always willing to listen and always has interesting things to say himself.

One night, just before midnight, I am lying in bed when User comes into my room and asks me to come with him. He has a blanket in his arms, and I follow him, slightly confused. He takes me up to the very top of the tower, the roof, and sits down on the slanting rooftop. He tells me to lie down next to him and once I do so, he covers us up with a blanket.

We stay up there for a long time, watching the beautiful stars and staring at the moon. It's cold that night, and when I shiver, User pulls me close to him and hugs me, sharing his warmth. I lean against his chest and at that moment, we both see a brilliant streak of fire arc across the sky. A shooting star.

We make a wish in silence, and then when I look at User to ask him what his wish was, he kisses me. My wish has come true.

Almost a year later, I've become a wizard, technically a witch, and am married to User. We are both happy, as is everyone else in the tower. Even Wag is smiling, excited for us.

Later that night, we decide to go up onto the rooftop where we had our first kiss. We take our blanket and once again, we watch the stars. But after a few hours, when we stand up to go back into the tower, I slip. I fall off the roof and scream for help, too panicked to fly. I hit the water and immediately feel my mind go numb. User dives down after me and reaches me just as I hit the bottom of the moat. Neither of us can breathe underwater.

I try to tell him to go to the surface and to save himself - I am as good as dead. But he won't leave me, despite the bubbles streaming from his mouth. I feel water fill my lungs and know it's useless trying to expel it. User is shaking and I realize that he's crying. He doesn't want to leave me, but he desperately needs air.

I can see the other wizards trying to swim down to us and I can faintly hear them calling our names. But it's hopeless - we're too deep under the water. Even if User did leave me now, he would drown before he reached the surface.

It's dark under the water and I feel my eyes begin to close. User sinks down next to me, too weak to keep swimming. He hugs me and I hug him back.

I remember all the happy times we had together. How much we loved each other. Now, we're both drowning because of my stupid mistake.

User kisses me one last time and mouths three simple words. 'I love you'. My eyes close and as everything fades away, I mouth back 'I love you too'.

Because I do.


	16. Warriors

**Hey y'all, it's Ender! I hope you're having a great day and I hope to make it even better with this new one-shot! NOTE: I do ****not**** own Minecraft, Mianite, any YouTubers mentioned, and really, I don't own anything except this story.  
**

**For some chapters that were inspired by songs, I'll have a "Listen to:" section with a recommendation to listen to that song. ****This particular one-shot was based off of a couple drawings I did that were inspired by the song "Warriors" by Imagine Dragons. (Those drawings were of Twisted and User, of course, [it seems I only ever draw them** **anymore] and I sent it to them and they both favourited within like five seconds of each other and I freaked out. Now it wouldn't have been so bad if I hadn't been in a Skype call with Diamond at the time... and my facecam was on. XD She thought I was having a panic attack.)  
**

* * *

_Listen to: "Warriors" by Imagine Dragons - There's a good ten hour version on YouTube so you can have it play in the background whilst you read._

* * *

_Warriors_

Dust fell down through the air around us, coating our armour in a fine film of sand. Ashes stood where crumbled bricks once did and where those crumbled bricks once lay was a mighty city. A stronghold of the Mianitees for shelter against the dragons.

But alas, even the powerful dragons had perished in the apocalypse. When the meteor hit, only us, the infamous dragon-slayers, had survived. It was pure dumb luck that we hadn't been destroyed, but now we faced the worst challenge anyone could ask for - to fight against former friends just to get control of the ruined city and have a chance at surviving the asteroids that continued to fall.

I stole a glance over at my companion, User, and saw that he looked just like he always did nowadays: cracked goggles pushed down over his eyes, grime-streaked face set in an expression of pain, and hands wrapped in bloody bandages, his fingernails caked with dirt. His dark brown hair was hanging in limp curls, thick with mud, the soft waviness lost long ago, and the royal blue cape fastened around his shoulders was torn, ragged ends fluttering as he stumbled along. His iron armour shone dully, reflecting the dim red light and he was limping heavily on his left side, his leg wounded from a twisted beam of metal from a collapsed building almost stabbing completely through his calf a few days ago.

Of course, I didn't look much better. There was a shallow gash on my neck, not over my throat thankfully, but deep enough to cause my concern to be raised. The leather straps that bound the metal plating of my armour together were worn and faded, about to snap at any moment. My helmet was dented badly, one of the horns that adorned it askew and nearly bent in half.

But we still went on, despite the dust stretching out endlessly before and behind us. User left behind a trail of blood, the dark liquid still oozing from his wound and dripping onto the dry ground. A black haze hung in the air, obscuring the sun partially and making it appear a dirty brownish colour. Smaller meteorites blazed through the atmosphere, burning up before they even hit the already crater-impacted earth.

It didn't take long before we found a metal skeleton of a structure jutting out of the dusty ground. There was a person guarding it and it didn't take us more than a second to recognise her, even though she donned shining diamond gear that almost completely disguised her features.

"Firefoxx," I called, stopping while we were still a good distance away. I had to grab User's shoulder to steady him, as he almost lurched onto his face from being so off-balanced. "You okay?" I muttered to him under my breath, noticing the strained lines etched on his face.

"Yeah," he hoarsely whispered back. "My leg's just stiff."

I nodded and turned back to Sonja Firefoxx, leader of the tribal-like society that had been. She was glaring at us, but her weapon remained at her feet, where it had been lying when we first arrived.

"You are not welcome here," she spoke coldly, as though expecting her orders to be carried out immediately and without any hesitance. However, we had no such intentions as just to leave, and we were not the type to beg for mercy either.

"How many?" User demanded, knowing that Firefoxx would understand what he meant.

"Myself, Jericho, Sparklez, and Waglington. Syndicate and the other wizards were outside of the shelter at the time the first comet struck. By the time the second one came, we knew they wouldn't have had any chance," Firefoxx didn't waver and I felt a twinge of admiration for the girl. But at the same time, I noted that she must be very confident to be able to tell us who exactly had survived and who hadn't. But there were two more people I was - no, concerned was not the right word. Curious would have sounded to eager. Perhaps, uneasy would have been the right term, as that was how I had reacted to hearing the news that they had joined Firefoxx's society.

"The other two?"

"Vanished. Before the blast. Probably dead, though how should I know? I can't afford to search for people who abandoned us," Firefoxx snapped, reaching down and scooping up her sword in a quick motion, levelling the blade at my throat. I didn't react and for a few seconds, all three of us stood stock still, not even blinking.

"How many?" User asked again, perhaps suspecting that he might receive a different answer this time. Firefoxx's eyes blazed with anger and in one fluid movement, she had struck at User, clipping my cheek at the same time. Her strike tore open a new injury on my companion's shoulder, but half a heartbeat later, both User and I had our dragon-bone swords drawn and ready to attack.

The next second, we were engaged in a battle against Firefoxx, who had once been well-known for being the best warrioress the land had to offer. And indeed, she still proved a difficult opponent.

I grunted, finding my strike not only blocked, but my sword almost knocked out of my hands as Firefoxx twisted, hair flying as she got under User's guard. Sadly, my companion wasn't as good of a swordsman as most dragon hunters were and he let a yelp escape his lips as the leather armour straps were cut, his chestpiece clattering to the ground just after. He immediately switched to pure defense, holding his sword in front of his barely protected chest, the only safety between him and a killing blow being a worn leather tunic. I shouted angrily and attempted to slice down the back of Firefoxx's shoulders but she ducked, hearing the swish of my blade.

"Twisted!" User yelled as I narrowly avoided decapitating him after Firefoxx's surprise counterattack. "Are we on the same team or not?"

"Sorry!" I hollered, blocking another jab from Firefoxx. "My fault! I should have expected that!"

"Damn right you should've," User snapped, seizing an opportunity and getting a solid strike on Firefoxx's side after noticing her guard was down. Our opponent huffed, rolling and coming up into a kneeling position, barely able to defend as both User and I attacked at once. Metal scraped against bone as slowly, we began to force the sword out of her grip.

With a defeated scream, Firefoxx let us knock her sword from her grasp and she continued to glare at me angrily as I levelled my blade at her throat. Her gaze was dark and showed no remorse, and no pity stirred in me as I stared into it.

"End it," she snarled, a ragged patch of hair falling into her face. I did so, making it as quick and painless for her as possible.

Blood pooled over my feet as I turned to face User, who was examining his newest wound with a dull interest, since it was nothing new to either of us to be hurt.

"Bad?" I asked, unable to judge how deep it was or how much it was bleeding from where I stood. User shook his head, letting the hem of his cape fall back over it.

"Just looks bad. It will be fine in a few days," User directed his gaze back towards the husk of the building. I followed his eyes and saw a scared face peering out at us from behind a barely visible, half-closed trapdoor. A quiet whimper followed and I exchanged an emotionless glance with User before walking over to the door.

"How many are in there?" User sounded tired of repeating the question. The person, who I had now identified as Waglington, blinked fearfully and held up a single finger, then pointed to himself.

"Speak," I hissed, shoving the trapdoor open all the way. "And do not lie."

Waglington yelped and frantically shook his head, stumbling down into the dark tunnel that was just barely lit up with redstone torches. User and I followed as he staggered along, sometimes coming close to collapsing. It occurred to me that the half-wizard, half-elf hybrid must be ill to be in such a weak state that he could barely stand. He cast a scared glance back with wide red eyes before lurching into a long room that was only slightly better lit than the tunnel. There were two shapes that I could see, both slumped against the wall. Jericho and Sparklez, now mere corpses, had died just hours earlier, it seemed.

Waglington started coughing suddenly and fell to the ground, wrapping his arms around his willowy frame as he shook horribly, skin wretchedly pale. No pity touched my heart, even as I stared at the defeated hybrid.

"Put him out of his misery," I ordered to User. "He will do nothing but suffer from this illness." My companion nodded and without another word, Waglington's coughs abruptly ceased and the only breaths that echoed through the room were User's and my own.

"I'll check for supplies, you keep watch," User told me, then wandered off, grabbing boxes off of rotten shelves that lined the walls. I didn't waste time watching him and instead made my way back up the surface, coming out just in time to see a massive comet streak across the sky before vaporizing out of existence. I didn't bat an eye; after all, by this time, I had seen hundreds of spectacular meteorites like that one.

It was just a side effect of the apocalypse and the earth being subject to an asteroid belt changing its centre of gravity. It had been like this for a little over two weeks now with the major asteroid collisions occurring just a few days ago. User and I had been the only ones out of our dragon hunter clan to survive, but we weren't sure if we could count ourselves so lucky for it.

The time before the apocalypse was a time of war anyway. Humans and elves against the dragons, with towns constantly being destroyed and burned to the ground. The human-dragon hybrids could be even more dangerous, however, and threatened the safety of the cities from the inside. We had learned very quickly that it was best just to murder the hybrids when we found them. But only the dragon hybrids - elf hybrids like Waglington were some of our most valuable warriors. Even User was about a fourth of an elf and he had inherited the skill of archery that most elves were taught to utilise to their utmost advantage. However, the only elfish features he really had were pale eyes and a lithe form, not the pointed ears and longer hair that other hybrids had to deal with.

We would joke about that sometimes before the apocalypse, where I would call User a green-eater, a private insult about being an elf, and User would call me fire-breather, since my body build had suggested a dragon far lost in my family. I did have a very heavy build but I also had thinner pupils that may have once resembled that of a reptile. However, any primal, dragon-like instinct that I may have had had been lost long ago.

"I have the supplies, Twisted, now let's get out of here," User came up from the tunnel and handed me a fairly heavy burlap sack that seemed to be filled with rations, judging by the sound of clinking cans that emanated from the rough cloth. User had a tent roll strapped on over his shoulders and I felt a twinge of concern by the fact that he was carrying a much heavier-looking load. But even though he was shaking slightly, User didn't ask to switch loads and I didn't demand it of him. After all, he downright refused to have any sympathy ever felt for him.

"We should be bale to make a couple more miles before sunset," I squinted as I stared into the sinking sun, barely visible through the layer of smog. "Let's go."

* * *

Days continued similarly after that and our schedule never changed. Eat breakfast, walk, break at noon, walk, make camp, eat, sleep, repeat. It wore us both down but we still continued on, determined in our quest. Rations were still going down at the planned rate but our water supplies were dwindling. There were only a few canteens left and I knew that User was drinking only about half as much as I was - which very little anyway. I was most worried about that since it seemed like he was limping even worse each day now.

One day, when I had set a particularly fast pace in hopes to reach the City of Scales sooner, User suddenly called out to me and I halted, turning back to look at my companion.

He had deteriorated badly over the time we had first set off in the morning. He had finally discarded his broken goggles and his pale brown eyes were wide with pain. Blood was speckling the ground behind him and he held his wounded leg slightly off of the dry and dusty earth. I swallowed when I saw tears in the corners of his eyes, silently cursing myself for not realising earlier how much agony User was in.

"Can we rest here? J-just for a few minutes?" User asked, voice shaking. I took another glance at his leg and felt my stomach twist in pity.

"We'll make camp here for the night," I decided, despite my inner warrior screaming at me to make the most of the remaining daylight. "I'll fix the food - you lie down and wait for me to take a look at that leg."

User didn't protest as he handed the tent roll off to me and immediately sat down, rolling up his pants leg and hissing under his breath when the cloth rubbed against the edges of the wound. Worry stirred in my heart and I made camp as quickly as possible, starting a small fire with a handful of netherrack and peeling open a can of rabbit stew to set on the fire. I grabbed a tube of antibiotic cream and a roll of bandages - the only medical supplies we had - and knelt by User, bringing out a dagger and cutting away the cloth of his pants near the wound. Looking nice was the least of our worries at the moment.

User watched me in silence, his eyes partly glazed over and his hands shaking uncontrollably. I sucked in a shallow breath at the sight of the stab wound: the edges were a bright red, pinkish streaks had spread out from the puncture, and the injury itself a tender pulp of flesh. How User had been able to walk with this... I would never understand. And he had being going on with this for almost two weeks, since the building we had been in at the time of the second impact had collapsed, a metal beam twisting straight into User's calf. That had been the first time since I met him that he had truly cried and I knew that I would never be able to erase the echoes of his pained wails from my mind.

"User..." I choked out, tracing my fingers around the edges of the wound and feeling my companion flinch away slightly as I brushed against the inflamed skin. It was definitely infected and I couldn't help but wonder if it could even be cured. It certainly couldn't have been helping that User wasn't getting the proper nourishment - just rabbit stew and a little bit of water wouldn't have been good even in better conditions. "I... don't know what to do with this."

"It hurts," User offered quite unhelpfully. I gave him a half-hearted glare, but was honestly too worried about him to snap at him about being a smartass. "And, uh, it feels like I might have a fever too."

"I suspected that," I sighed shakily, grabbing the tube of antibiotic cream, dabbing a bit of the cream on the tip of my index finger and rubbing it gently around the edges of the ragged tear. "User, I'm not going to lie: this is really, _really_ bad. Why didn't you let me know about this earlier?"

"It didn't hurt so much earlier!" User protested defensively, squirming around uncomfortably as I dabbed a little more cream on the wound. "And I didn't want to be a burden to you."

"Your health is not a burden," I gritted my teeth as I grabbed the bandages and began wrapping them around the fully creamed puncture. "We are some of the last few people alive on this world; we have to take care of each other and if you fall ill, then I'd feel pretty awful. Don't put yourself through this just for the sake of your pride."

User didn't say anything at all after that until I helped him to get inside the tent and lie down near the back. I remembered part of the basic medical training that everyone had to receive before they were allowed to hunt dragons with the other warriors, but I wondered just what I could use to elevate User's leg without it being too uncomfortable. After a while, I decided just to prop it up with my own bedroll, reassuring User that I would be fine sleeping on the ground - not that I would be sleeping much at all tonight. I wanted to monitor User to make sure his fever didn't get too high and that his bandages stayed fairly clean. But I knew even with this condition, the chances of User recovering any time soon were basically non-existent.

That was proven early the next morning, just after I had woken up and was sitting outside the tent, watching the sun rise over the flat horizon. There was a faint shuffling and rustling from the cloth behind me and I turned to see User's strained, tear-streaked face peeking out of tent flap. He was shivering like he was freezing to death, but when I reached out and put a hand on his forehead, it felt like his skin was burning up from the inside.

"Are we going to be heading out soon?" User asked pitifully, his voice sounding hollow and weak. I swallowed, shaking my head before I half-carried him back to his bedroll, propping his leg up again and peeling back the already soiled bandages. The wound hardly looked any better and I had to dig around in the supplies to find the antibiotic cream again. While I did, I found the half eaten can of rabbit stew from last night and decided to put it on over the fire and warm it up for a breakfast. After tending to User, I went outside and grabbed the now-warmed can from where it sat over the glowing netherrack, taking it back to User and handing him a spoon fashioned from the lid of another can.

"I'm not hungry," User rasped as soon as he saw the can. "I feel like I'm going to vomit already."

"You have to eat," I pleaded, sitting down beside him with my legs sprawled out to the side. "Lack of nourishment won't help you any."

"Not hungry," User mumbled again, shifting so that his back was turned to me, effectively ending our conversation. Worry washed over me like a wave and I set the stew can down with a soft clink, retreating back outside to give User some space.

The first rule of dragon hunters was to never get separated from your companion, who was assigned to you based on your strengths. If either you or your companion, for some reason, were unable to work well together, you would get given a new one. User had been my companion since day one of fighting dragons, even though we had never spoken much during training. We had gotten along surprisingly well and we would have laid down our lives for each other if it had ever come to it.

But now... I had nothing to help User with and I knew that there was a city with supplies a few days journey to the West. It hadn't been the original destination, but if I could just go there and get water and the antibiotics that User needed, then he may stand a better chance at surviving this.

I just didn't want to leave him.

* * *

After three days it became deadly serious that I _had_ to leave User and journey to the city to get supplies. We were down to our last canteen of water and there was only a little bit of antiseptic cream left as well. I hated having to leave User in his weakened, half fever-tossed doze, but it was either that or let us both die. I set off early one dawn, leaving a can of stew and the canteen of water next to User, who was still deep in his fever dreams. I also had the intent of finding some garlic or something to help with the infection - that is, if there was any that had started growing yet. Garlic could grow anywhere, after all.

The day spent journeying was also a day spent worrying for Richard, back at the camp. I hadn't gotten to tell him I was leaving and my goodbye to him had been a one-sided conversation, since his only acknowledgement was shivering madly in his unconsciousness. Sweat slicked his forehead and stuck his hair into wet curls, tracing his pale, hollow cheeks. His wound was oozing pus and was covered in the glassy sheen of infection. It my heart twist even more to see him in such a vulnerable state, but I didn't have a choice of leaving.

Nearing the end of the second day, I saw the half-crumbled remains of buildings that had escaped the centre of the blast. Scrubby grass was twisted under my feet and my nose twitched as I smelled the sharp odor of crushed wild garlic. Perfect. I had found the exact herb I had been looking for by stepping on it.

I knelt down and found a patch of uncrushed garlic not far away. I dug up the tender young plants, placing them gently in the burlap sack I was carrying until that particular cluster was lining the entire bottom of the bag.

As I neared the city, I saw a mechanical well near the edge and turned my feet towards it, licking my parched lips eagerly. I hadn't had more than a swallow of water since I left User, opting to leave the canteen with him. I approached the well and of course found the mechanisms all but busted and I swore aloud, cursing my bad luck. It took a little bit of tinkering to get the gears working and the water rerouted into a rusty bucket I found nearby. When I flipped the switch to turn it back on, water spluttered inside the dented pipes, mud and dirt spat out all over my face, then fresh water began gushing into the bucket. I wiped the grime off of my face, curling my lip in disgust.

But when I put my mouth into the water, it seemed like there couldn't be anything more heavenly than this. I drank eagerly, even taking the time to scrub any exposed skin and to wash some of my own, shallower wounds. The water was amazingly refreshing and I barely remembered to fill up the empty canteens I had brought. After that, I turned the water off, noting the pail was nearly full - ready for the journey back. However, I had one more stop in the crumbled city.

I spotted the pale building near the back of the city, seeing that it was the one still mostly intact out of every building there. I pushed open the cracked wooden door, dust flying from the hinges as they creaked threateningly. Cupboards were askew, some with bottles of pills still strewn out everywhere. I grabbed anything that looked like it would be able to help; pain killers, antibiotic ointment, anti-inflammatory drugs. I even snatched a container of lollipops, just for good measure. Both User and I needed a treat after this ordeal.

I made it out of the city once again loaded with supplies and a couple extra rations to boot. I was lugging along the pail of water but it hardly bothered me - I was used to carrying heavy equipment for days on end. A bucket of water was hardly the heaviest or the bulkiest thing I had carried.

In the two days it took to journey back, I was met with a shock that almost made me drop everything and run to the campsite.

"User!" I shouted, seeing my companion huddled just outside the tent and next to the glowing embers of the fire, sounds of hysterical crying coming from his shaking form. At the sound of my voice he jerked his head up and stared at me with foggy, bloodshot eyes.

"Twisted?" he croaked out, voice sounding heartbroken and raspy. I set down the bucket of water and ran over to him, my own heart cracking as User pushed himself to his feet and limped forwards painfully, falling into my arms as he hugged me tightly, as though I would try to run from him.

"You left me," he sobbed, burying his face in the crook of my neck, "you left me alone, Twisted."

It hurt me to see him like this, but it hurt even more to know that his words were true.

Of course, I could only hope that the future would get better after this.

After two weeks of medication, food heavily seasoned with garlic, hot water compresses, and a substantial amount of lollipops - I was regretting grabbing them after learning what a sucker User was for the sweets, no pun intended - User finally seemed to be improving. Being part elf also apparently gave him a higher resistance to infections and had allowed him to recover more quickly. The injury itself was almost completely healed over and User's fever had been going down at a steady rate.

I sat outside one morning in the early dawn, golden rays of light just beginning to shine over the horizon and the smog that had been hanging over the land beginning to disappear, when User limped out to sit beside me, a lollipop in his mouth and hope in his eyes. I snickered when I saw his sugary breakfast, but didn't say anything once he handed me one as well. Try as I liked to deny it, I enjoyed lollipops too.

"You know what, Twisted?" User said thoughtfully, brushing some hair out of his eyes as he stared out to the east.

"What?" I answered, twisting the lollipop stick around and sending the candy twirling in my mouth.

"I think... that for the first time in a long time," User's pale eyes reflected the light of the glowing sun as it rose fully into the creamy dawn sky. "Things are finally getting better."

**Oh my gosh... you have _no_ idea how much research I had to do for this. I spent about an hour looking up information about serious infections and even longer for cures and treatment. Then I realised there was no way User would survive unless I gave him ridiculous superpowers or some crap so I had to incorporate the resistance to wounds from being an elf. I didn't like to do it but I wanted User to survive...**

**At least until the sequel one-shot, which my mind is literally racing to be planned out as we speak. That one's gonna be with the two people mentioned earlier who may or may not have escaped the worst of the apocalypse... ;)  
**


	17. Hatchling

**Hey y'all, it's Ender! I hope you're having a great day and I hope to make it even better with this new one-shot! NOTE: I do ****not**** own Minecraft, Mianite, any YouTubers mentioned, and really, I don't own anything except this story. Also, the dragonspeak in this story is in bold.  
**

**This is OFFICIALLY the longest one-shot I've ever written and have gone completely bonkers over this! There's gonna be a comic based on this posted on my Twitter this afternoon so go check that out as well. And the ending bit was written while I was really tired so it gets kinda bad in descriptive quality and some content was left out but whatever. This took me three weeks to do and I'm not changing a single Notch-damned thing about it.  
**

_Hatchling_

I stumbled through the woods, clutching at my side and reeling back and forth as blood streamed down past my waist onto my thigh. The long gash just over my stomach stung like crazy, but all I knew was that I had to get away. My village had been attacked by the Welveres, huge, wolf-like creatures with a thirst to kill. I had been lucky to escape, but the wound was very severe. And though I was certainly no medic, even I could tell that I was losing far too much blood.

I fell to my knees and crawled under the twisting roots of a giant oak, smearing scarlet on the damp soil. The roots crossed over each other in a thatched pattern, letting in specks of light from the golden afternoon sun, high above the tree canopy. It wasn't long before I let my head fall onto the cool earth, my fingers drenched in blood while still more continued to drip onto the ground.

My village had been a hunting one, trapping and killing the mighty animals of Harigad. Welveres, dragons, even the huge wyrms that could break a man's neck just by breathing on him, for they were that powerful. But they hadn't seen the signs of the gathering pack of Welveres, and that had been our downfall.

I, not yet old enough to meet the hunters' age requirement of sixteen, had heard it first. A great crashing through the trees and the howling barks of a Welvere. By the time I had begun to warn my neighbours to get inside, the pack was upon us.

They were breaking through doors just by sheer strength and close-ranged swords and spears proved ineffective against them. Archers shot their bows, but very little, for fear of accidentally hitting one of the many townsfolk mixed in amongst the pack. It wasn't long before all our weapons were either snapped, unable to be used, or damaged beyond repair.

One of the largest Welveres had backed me up against the side of a house, and I had nothing but a dagger to defend myself. It snarled before pouncing and I tried to use that moment to escape. But as I turned, it tore into my soft flesh with its fangs, ripping out a huge chunk of my skin and rendering me unable to do much more than stagger away, crying out in pain with each step. It turned its eyes to another, more filling prey and thus gave me the opportunity to escape with my life.

But now, hours after the dawn attack, the wound was still bleeding and I was beginning to feel lightheaded. I moved my blood-encrusted hand away from the injury and hissed under my breath as the cool air nipped at it. I tore away a bit of soft cloth from a red silken sash around my waist and wrapped it over the wound, successfully binding it, but not tightly enough to stop the bleeding completely. I gritted my teeth and once again pressed down over the injury, pain creeping through my limbs.

These were the wild lands, out here. There were none of the sheltering walls that had framed my village, nor were there any hunters to protect me from the beasts that roamed amongst the trees. I was alone and virtually helpless against anything that came my way.

No sooner than I had thought that, there was a loud crunching and snapping of branches in the trees ahead. Something - and something big at that - was coming straight for me. I froze, one hand still on my stomach and the other desperately clawing for something that might do anything to help me defend myself against whatever was approaching me. I was met with nothing except for the tree roots forming a cage around my hiding place and the soft dirt beneath my fingers.

There was a low growl and I immediately stilled all movement, waiting with scared, baited breath as I heard a soft sniffling. The thing, whatever it was, was scenting for me. It could tell I was here. There was another growl then a quiet '_shink_' as silver claws wrapped around one of the roots encasing me. It was wrenched away with a sickening tearing sound, dirt flying up from the ground and falling into my face. I flinched as a sharp-edged stone struck my side, further irritating my wound. I stared up into the face of my sure-to-be doom, trying not to cry out in fear.

It was a dragon, and looked to be a rather young one. It was about ten meters long, with thin, leathery wings and a lithe body. Its scales still looked quite soft and unprotective, but that didn't make it any easier to face. It still had exceptionally large fangs and the beginning glances of ivory horns were protruding from its narrow skull.

Other than the deadliness about it, it was quite beautiful. It had a base shade of dark chocolatey scales, the colour of cocoa chips melting on a warm cookie fresh out of the oven. It was speckled with iridescent white patches, shining like pearls in the gentle green light. Its eyes were a rich orange, fading into colours like a blazing wildfire as it shrank into a dark, reptilian pupil.

The dragon growled again, edging its head close to me and sniffing at my wound. I held my breath, silently counting down towards the end. The dragon made a low keening noise and nudged my stomach gently, as though hesitant to further injure me. Its hide was surprisingly smooth and its breath smelled warm and sweet, like magnolia flowers. My chest started to hurt from the lack of fresh air but I was too fixated on the dragon to release the breath I was holding.

Finally, the dragon withdrew its head and huffed, raising its translucent wings to catch the light and send a soft orange glow to illuminate my face. I breathed out shakily, unable to restrain my tears any longer. They came with each breath of fresh air, trickling slowly down my cheeks and brushing lightly past my chin. I had survived an attack of the Welveres without too much panic, but the tension that came from the uncertainty of when the young dragon in front of me was going to kill me was making me break down internally. The gash on my side still throbbed with pain and the blood still oozing past my fingers further reminded me of how vulnerable a position I was in. I was feeling lightheaded, either from fear or blood loss, and the dragon tilted its head to the side, giving me a toothy grin that did nothing to calm my frantically drumming heart.

It gave me a noise that sounded strangely similar to a cat's purr and crouched down, waving its long tail about as it raised its wings, shoving its head close to the ground. It hardly took me more than a second to realise the unbelievable - the dragon wanted me to play with it.

"Of course," I murmured aloud, barely above a whisper. "You're still a young dragon. You haven't learned to kill humans yet."

The dragon's eyes lit up as it heard that and I suddenly regretted saying anything. It raised its head and shook itself, standing proudly over me before wrapping long silver talons around my body. I yelped, choking out a heartbroken sob after. The dragon keened lowly before lifting me up into the air and sniffing me again as I struggled weakly in its firm grip. I was sure that I was just radiating fear-scent, but the stress of the moment had finally derailed any train of reasonable thought.

"Please," I whimpered, trembling violently as I closed my teary eyes, waiting for sharp fangs to sink into my tender flesh, ripping me open like a piece of paper. I felt the dragon take me between its teeth, but it was being surprisingly gentle, barely piercing my pale skin and being especially cautious with my wound. I could've opened my eyes, but I felt the dragon start to move slowly through the woods, and besides, I was feeling dangerously sleepy and lethargic. It felt like there were heavy weights on my eyelids, forcing them to stay closed and further pushing me towards a deep state of unconsciousness - not sleep, no, this felt like it would be much more deadly, and possibly lead to me actually dying.

It gave me a new want to stay awake and I forced my eyes open, though their gaze was dimmed. Everything seemed like a shining blur from the mouth of the dragon that still carried me onwards. I could hear its strong breathing, steady as it loped smoothly between the towering trees. I had no clue where it was taking me but I was honestly struggling so much just to fight against the pain coursing through my limbs that I couldn't spare enough concentration to wonder or to speculate. My hand finally slipped away from my side and the scarlet sash, partly wrapped around my bloodied hand, trailed after it, fluttering in the empty air. The dragon made another soft keening sound that almost shook me to the bone from being so close to the source.

I blinked slowly, feeling the breeze rustle past my dangling left hand, its right counterpart still resting between the dragon's fangs. Blood had completely streaked my side and had dried halfway down my leg, soaking through my tan pants as well as my shirt and coat, both torn. I let out a ragged, scraping breath before coughing sickeningly, my stomach heaving although there was nothing in it. I felt ill, and was sure I was as pale as the paper I had envisioned myself being torn like just a little while earlier.

As the dragon continued to carry me, I began to recognise more telltale signs that I was losing far too much blood, even still. My breaths were no longer even ragged - they were shallow and slow, as if my lungs were failing to work properly. My chest was hurting and the world was spinning like the discs my friends and I had played with when we were all younger and happier, innocently carefree without yet realising that our fragile lives would always be in peril.

It took me much longer than it should have to realise that the dragon had stopped and was setting me down on the ground. I brushed against a soft bed of grass and was rested in the middle, although I could still see great red trees stretching far above my head, branches arching over the glade as the warm afternoon sun shone through the patches between the bristling, needle-like leaves. There was a chorus of low growls and a brown, white-patched tail waved over my head. A soft moan escaped my parted lips as I continued to stare blankly up at the sky. My eyes were clouded and the smell of my blood continued to taint the air around me.

A single tear slipped down my cheek and I blinked again, my eyes only staying half open this time. There were heavy steps near me and I was gently dragged towards a source of heat. The point of warmth, seemingly another dragon, wrapped a thin purple-grey tail around my legs, raising my feet up to be propped up on a curved grey talon, angling me so that more of the blood would go to supply my upper body.

I let my eyes slip close once more, feeling too tired and too faint to stay awake any longer.

* * *

I woke up still nestled up against a warm dragon hide, a tail also wrapped around me, although my feet were no longer raised. I unconsciously snuggled closer to the dragon's soft scales and heard a low sigh from the dragon. The scales shifted under me in the calm motion of breathing and a fresh wave of heat rolled up from beneath my head. I was drowsy and the warmth only made me more so, so I didn't even think about what I was doing when I moved my hand up to rest on the tender belly of the beast.

There was a rumbling growl when I did so and my eyes snapped open, quickly filling with fear. There was indeed a dragon in front of me, in fact, the same one that had brought me to this glade. It immediately perked up when it recognised me and made a happy-sounding noise.

I pretty much screamed like a child.

The dragon started, flinching back at my high-pitched yell. I scrambled away, my side bursting in pain, and preventing me from doing much more than collapsing onto the ground and rendering me unable to regain my balance before the dragon was leaning over me, its face inches from mine.

**"Hello!"** It said cheerfully, speaking with a light, masculine voice.** "You are awake! Mama will be happy that you are awake! She thought you would be not awake ever but I said you will be awake!"**

"Oh," I said weakly, at a loss for any other words. So I had almost died and I was now in the care of a clan of dragons. This just got better and better.

The dragon in front of me wrapped his talons around me again, lifting me up and setting me back on my feet. I staggered, unsteady on my feet as my side was still aching quite painfully. I instinctively wrapped one arm around the dragon's slender neck, leaning heavily on the scaled beast. The dragon made a low huffing sound and lowered his head even closer to the ground, shoving up against my left leg and causing me to stumble and fall onto the back of his head. I yelped, grabbing onto the dragon's smooth horns as he stood up and feeling the lithe muscle tense and relax underneath the soft scales. It occurred to me that this dragon had no ridge of scales along his back and instead, I was left to cling to the ivory horns. He started moving along at a steady loping pace, keeping his head at a slight angle to avoid jostling me around too much. I rode on his neck in silence, still admittedly scared of what would become of me now that I was awake.

**"Where do you come from, human?"** the dragon rumbled.

"Uh, from Xenier," I stammered nervously. "It is - er, was, the village to the West."

**"Oh,"** the dragon mimicked my tone from earlier. _"My name is Jordan. I like my name. Do you have a name?"_

"Yeah," I looked around as we walked, taking in the glory of the majestic redwood trees. "It's Richard."

**"That's a neat name. I like it too, though not as much as mine,"** Jordan stated innocently. He suddenly stopped in the middle of the path and knelt down, a clear indication for me to get off. I did so, and fell as soon as my feet hit the ground, grunting as I landed hard on the path. Jordan the dragon took off seconds later, stirring up the air and creating a breeze that ruffled strongly through my brown curls of hair. I shivered and a thought suddenly crossed my mind - what was my wound like now? I rolled over to my right and pushed my jacket aside, lifting up my shirt and curling my lip at the stickiness. Blood was still encrusting my pale skin, but it had long since dried, leaving nothing but a rusty red crust. The injury itself, whilst still looking nasty from being surrounded in dry, sickly yellow pus, had healed over, at least a little bit. Whatever the dragons had done had certainly helped, though they could have at least washed the gash.

The was a quiet rustling and I turned to face where it seemed the noise was coming from yelping aloud at the sight that awaited my eyes.

There was a massive dragon lying behind me that somehow, I hadn't noticed before. It was obviously a female, with slimmer features and dark brown, almost black feathers framing her narrow face. Her scales were a rich red, like the redwoods surrounding us, and she had green spines running down her back to her tail.

**"Hatchling,"** she rumbled, flicking her tail, which was as thick as a tree trunk.** "You are human, yet you are not. Otherwise, I would not have allowed my sons to keep you here. They sensed something different about you, as did I. So tell me... whatever you have to say."**

"I - I have nothing to s-say unless there is som-something you wish to hear," I stuttered, barely remembering my manners. I was terrified of this dragon, as it seemed she was the mother of her brood and even more dangerous than the younger ones.

**"No need for such formality,"** the dragon chuckled lightly, narrowing her glowing yellow eyes. **"Just tell me about yourself. And I intend to hear everything. If I do not and you keep secrets, then I will be very disappointed in you. And by the way, my name is Pine."**

I swallowed, but didn't hesitate to explain who I was and what had happened to me for Pine to hear. Never once did he she take her intense yellow stare away from me and a couple times when she lifted a massive red paw to scratch behind her head, I stumbled over my words at the sight of her huge black talons. This made her crack a sly grin, though she never scolded me for flinching away instinctively.

**"So you come from a hunting village,"** Pine sighed deeply after my story was finished. **"Your kin has slain hundreds of my kind and we are kept in an eternal war. I risk the lives of my sons if I take you in, do you understand?"**

"I - I understand, bu-but why would you take me i-in?" my eyes widened and I winced as another stab of pain shot through my side.

**"You are hurt and there is no-one left for you to go to,"** Pine tossed her scaly head slightly, before shifting forwards and standing up to her full height. I shrank down as she towered over me, almost able to brush against the tops of the redwood trees with her feathery frills. **"Welcome to my nest, Hatchling. Now, why don't we go to meet my sons?"**

I yelped when Pine scooped me up in a gentle paw and tried to ignore her sharp, curved talons surrounding me and pressing tightly against my wound, which was once throbbing with pain, although it was no longer bleeding. She carried me back through the golden lit path, silent and flapping her leathery wings occasionally to keep her balance on only three paws. I relaxed slightly and closed my eyes, wrapping my arms over my chest and dropping my head until my nose touched my elbows. The steady motion of being carried along on the cool summer evening lulled me into a trance like to a doze and I hardly noticed when we stopped.

**"Richard! You are back! Can he stay, Mama?"** Jordan's excitable voice broke through my trance and my eyes snapped open. I instinctively coiled into myself, shrinking into a huddled ball at the sight of another young dragon, about the same size as Jordan. His scales were a dull purple-grey and he looked almost sickly, his black-striped legs shaking as they supported the weight of his scrawny body. His eyes were pure red and his scales were all torn underneath his dull eyes, leaving a bloody streaking and giving the appearance that he was crying blood. He flicked his tail nervously and raised his head to sniff the air, turning towards me after he had done so.

**"Jordan, you already know,"** Pine dipped her head at the patched dragon.** "And this is James. James, this is Richard, the human you've been helping care for these past few days."**

**"Hi again!"** Jordan bounced forwards, flapping his wings energetically. Pine set me down on the ground and I stumbled, finding difficulty in getting my balance back. Jordan bent down, though with his small size, he didn't have to lean down far. **"You smell like blood again. Mama, is he bleeding?"**

**"No, it's dry blood,"** James commented quietly, sniffing the air again. The young dragon's voice was almost amazingly deep and he continued to speak,** "it just needs to be washed. Richard, there is a creek fairly close. I can take you to it."**

**"Thank you, James,"** Pine spoke loudly, which sounded akin to a burst of thunder, shaking the ground enough for me to have to fall into a crouch to avoid completely collapsing.** "I'm going to go back to guarding the nest. Call me once you get hungry."**

James flicked his tail in a silent response and padded slowly over to me, putting one small foot in front of the other very cautiously as though he was testing the ground ahead of him. Pine turned back and trotted back through the trees, leaving the other hatchling to scramble into a nest of woven redwood branches. James reached me and sniffed the air again before turning to the East, where the sun was just about to reach high noon.

**"This way,"** he whispered and padded off in that direction. I walked after James as quickly as I could and was able to keep pace pretty easily with the dragon. He was extremely slow and kept scenting the air, veering rather jerkily to avoid trees.** "I am sorry if I seem odd,"** James rumbled suddenly, making me flinch out of surprise. **"I was blinded not long after I was hatched - that is why I have these scars and why I am so careful."**

"I-it's fine," I forced myself to suppress a whimper, still not entirely trusting the small clan of dragons. "You seem to do quite well without sight an-anyway."

James smiled slightly, baring his sharp fangs and unintentionally scaring me enough to make me jump slightly, my footsteps soft against the spiky needles that dotted the forest floor. Soon, I could hear the running water and found a shallow creek trickling through the woods, barely deep enough to cover the smooth pebbles on the bottom. It took me a little while to find a deep enough pool to bathe in and cleanse my wound. James lay down some ways away with his wings folded up against his body and keeping his nose turned towards me to track my whereabouts constantly. I felt a bit unnerved by that as I shrugged off my jacket and stripped myself of my T-shirt, discarding the bloody piece of clothing next to the stained jacket. I dipped my dirt-encrusted hands into the cool water, sighing in relief as it cleansed some of the small scrapes that had gathered on my palms and fingertips. I scrubbed off the rusty red blood that had caked under my fingernails and splashed some water on my face as well, rubbing the back of my neck and rinsing away the grit caught in my curly hair.

I finally eased myself into the water and took another look at my wound, grabbing a bit of dry moss from a nearby stone and dipping it in the water before dabbing at the gash. It stung, but I knew that it was getting it cleaner, so I continued. After about another fifteen minutes of gently washing away the grime, I could see that the wound had only scabbed over quite shallowly - dirt had caked it before, creating the illusion that it had had healed over more than it actually did. The flesh surrounded it was a light pink and felt quite tender when my fingers brushed against the inflamed skin. I hissed under my breath at the sting and I splashed a bit more water on the injury, feeling the heat flare up from underneath the edges of the scar.

**"It is almost the afternoon. We should go back soon,"** James rumbled slowly, unseeing gaze fixated on me even still. I flinched and quickly finished up washing, dipping my shirt and jacket in the creek a couple times to rinse the fabric. They were both tattered and stained beyond belief and I curled my lip as I put them back on, shaking like a dog and sending water droplets flying from the curly ends of my hair.

"I'm done," I announced, my soft voice still slightly shaking with timidness. James lurched to his feet and ruffled his leathery wings, the translucent grey membranes pale and letting the sunlight dimly shine through.

**"There's no need for fear - Mama has already said we will not hurt you. And I know you have been raised to fear us, but we mean you no harm,"** James padded slowly over to me and scented the air again. **"Good. You got the wound clean. We could not do that as effectively as what was needed so we decided to wait."**

I honestly couldn't think of how to respond to that so I just remained quiet, letting James lead me back to the redwood nest. Jordan was still curled up inside, head lifted as he watched a few hawks that were perched in the trees above with his glowing orange eyes. His pupils were wide and he made light chirruping sounds similar to that of a feline while he watched the hawks. His tail twitched constantly, barely ruffling the needles as the birds far above glared down, far from intimidated by the curious dragon.

**"Jordan, you will not catch those birds,"** James sighed deeply, as though this was a common occurrence for the both of them. **"They are taunting you because they know you cannot get to them."**

**"Birds are mean,"** Jordan snarled, resting his head back on his paws and continuing to stare at the hawks. **"Nasty feather-brains."**

**"Calm down,"** James scolded, stepping gingerly into the nest and curling up around Jordan. I stood back half-awkwardly, watching as Jordan relaxed once his brother rested his head on the patched dragon's shoulder, sharing his warmth. **"Mama will be home soon with food. The birds will go away when she comes."**

**"Fine,"** Jordan grumbled before suddenly scrunching his face into a confused expression.** "Wait, where did Richard go? I wanted him to stay."**

"I'm still here," I tentatively raised my hand and tried not to tremble when Jordan twisted his head to look my way. He broke into a wide smile and shifted slightly to the side, leaving a space between him and James.

**"Well what are you doing over there? Come into the nest!"** Jordan invited, flicking his tail eagerly. James seemed indifferent and stared in my general direction with half-closed eyes. **"You can curl up between James and I."**

It took a second for me to muster up the nerve even to step into the hatchlings' nest, flinching when the pine branches under my feet crackled loudly. It felt like Jordan's unblinking gaze was burning holes through my body and I did my best to avoid brushing against any of the dragons' scales as I partially limped into the indicated space. Jordan suddenly shifted towards me and I yelped as he knocked into my side, sending me sprawling against his warm chest. My face flushed red out of embarrassment, more so for yelping so fearfully than anything else.

Jordan's right paw curled around my body and tugged me closer to his chest, being gentle with his talons while James stood up slightly, then almost tossed himself onto Jordan, curling up around the slightly larger dragon. I found myself getting drowsy from the heat two dragons were emitting, especially with James now practically draped over both Jordan and I, the latter having me almost snuggled up against his chest. Against my better judgement, I allowed myself to drift into a doze, briefly considering that my family might have had a heart attack if they saw me now, curled up in a nest of dragons. Needless to say, that was a big "no-no" for most humans.

I was woken up when a chunk of raw... _something_ fell on me.

I squeaked as a heavy piece of raw meat was dropped onto my chest, splattering blood over my shirt and almost bruising my ribs. I pushed it off as quickly as possible and stared disbelievingly at the mass of dark red meat, pale, slick fat still clinging to the edges. In total, it was about the size of my head and looked more like the definition of disgusting rather than food.

**"Eat up, little hatchling,"** I jumped, startled by Pine's loud rumble. I glanced up half-fearfully, seeing the grown dragon towering above me, blood staining the scales around her mouth. Just beyond her, I could see James and Jordan scrapping over the remains of a Welvere.

Oh... so that's what the mystery meat was.

"Uh... I can't eat meat raw. My, uh, my teeth aren't sharp enough," I stumbled over my own words while trying to explain to the dragon that there was a problem here in the way of food.

Pine said nothing, but she once again scooped up the meat in her mouth and lay down next to me, her bright yellow gaze never leaving my own. She slowly tore off bite sized chunks of meat using her talons, dropping them at my feet. Once all that was left of the raw Welvere was the bit still dangling from her teeth - she swallowed that herself and freed me from having to worry about dragon spit - I cautiously took a piece of meat and bit into it, almost gagging as a rush of blood and the heavy taste of iron filled my mouth.

**"It will take some getting used to, Richard,"** Pine watched me carefully, an amused look glinting in her eyes. **"But it will help with all that blood you lost. Eat up."**

I guess that saying I wasn't looking forwards to coming meals would have been a very far understatement.

* * *

I grunted when I felt something sharp graze my leg and opened my eyes to see Jordan sprawled out on his side, feet twitching and snarling silently, caught up in some sort of deep dream. Apparently, one of his claws had scratched against my leg: unsurprising since I was once again nestled in between his front paws, head pressed up to his chest and taking advantage of his warmth. James was curled up with his back to Jordan's but Pine was nowhere to be seen.

The sting of the scratch on my leg was beginning to bother me, so I made up my mind to go over to the creek and wash it with the icy water to relieve the mild pain. I wriggled out from under Jordan's paws and stood up, cautiously making my way out of the nest of dragons, being careful not to step on any tails. I knew from experience that it was never a good way to wake up a sleeping dragon.

I managed to make it safely to the creek, the moonlight illuminating the many scars on my skin, especially around my arms and chest. Jordan and James tried to be gentle around me, but the quickly growing dragons could get quite rough and though their talons only sparked harmlessly against each other's scales, they could easily rip through my much more tender flesh. None of the scrapes had been serious, and I had grown used to it. Even accidental cuts like tonight was nothing unusual, though normally, it could be ignored until the next morning.

I had been living with the dragons for about two months now, and as it turned out, I had fit in pretty well with their little clan. I no longer tripped over my words if one of them glanced my way, and I had even grown so bold as to attempt riding Jordan, though the disgruntled hatchling had pointed out how awkward it was, since we were practically best friends at that point. In that time, my wound had also healed over completely and though I would sometimes experience painful aches in my side, the seriousness of the injury had long since disappeared.

I sighed in relief as I stuck my leg into the creek, the chilly water instantly numbing the sting and waking me up even further. I sat on the bank for a little while, pebbles under my toes shifting as I moved my leg around in the shallow water, cleaning the scrape on my calf and relaxing my muscles as well.

I heard a soft crackle and glanced up, expecting to see James or even Pine coming to get a drink of water. It felt like my heart almost stopped when I saw a giant dragon-like creature creep through the trees just a stone's throw away from me. It only had two legs and its dull orange wings were folded loosely by its tough green hide. Long fangs protruded from its mouth, and even from this distance, I could see its glowing mahogany eyes.

It was a wyrm, no doubt about it, and it was heading straight for the dragon's nest.

I stayed still as it passed, my breath held in apprehension until the Wyrm had completely disappeared through the trees, thin tail snaking along behind it. After that, I scrambled out from the creek, and dove down the narrow pathway back to the nest, hoping to at least make it back to the nest to warn my adopted family of the approaching danger. Unfortunately, the wyrm travelled much faster than I did, and I was able to hear the squawks of my nestmates before they were even in sight.

A red glow rose up from the clearing and a wave of heat rolled towards me, as well as a patch of thick smoke. I coughed instinctively, backing away and reeling into a tree, one hand clutched over my nose and mouth. The smoke burned at my throat, leaving a bitter taste on my tongue, and I peeked out, more smoke stinging my eyes.

The whole clearing was shrouded in roaring flames and the wyrm stood at the centre of it all, spitting out globs of fire at Jordan and James, who were running around the clearing as quickly as possible to avoid the white hot flame. They were squalling fearfully, frills ruffled up as they frantically dodged the wyrm's long claws.

I sucked in a gasp as I saw the wyrm lunge at Jordan, scooping him up and closing his teeth around the panicked young dragon. I heard scales crunch, but before I could even move, a fully enraged roar startled the wyrm and he dropped Jordan just as Pine dive-bombed the wyrm, aiming for its shining eyes.

I ignored the battle of wyrm and brood mother, instead locating a break in the fire and running towards Jordan, who was trying to get back to his feet, only to fall down with a moan of pain. His right front paw was twisted at an awkward angle and blood was oozing from bite-sized punctures in his scales from where the wyrm had bitten him. James was fumbling around on the opposite side of the clearing, crying out in distress every time a tongue of fire licked at his nose.

"Jordan!" I yelled, falling into a crouch beside the injured dragon. He glanced at me, eyes filled with pain and his mouth half-open, as if he was about to let out another wail of agony. Smoke had stained his iridescent scales, blood still running down his tough hide from the bite wounds.

**"Get James over here,"** Jordan hissed through gritted teeth. **"He can't smell anything through the smoke."**

"But what about you?" I protested, fear threatening to swamp me. "You're hurt!"

**"I'll be fine,"** Jordan's gaze softened as he noticed my concern for him.** "Now go. You need to get to James."**

I swallowed apprehensively but ran off towards James nonetheless, abandoning Jordan for the time being. Across the clearing, I saw that Pine had directed the wyrm's attention away from her sons and even though dark blood had streaked down her scales, which dully reflected the ring of flame around the clearing, she was still fighting with the strength of the wyrm itself. Smoke billowed towards my face in waves and I coughed, stumbling as the acrid smoke stung my eyes. I waved my hands in front of my face in a fruitless attempt to ward away the polluted air.

"James," I rasped once I got close enough to the disoriented hatchling, still stumbling around and wailing. My voice was barely audible over the crackling of the fire, but James was able to hear me and whipped around to face me, his normally spotless scales heavily stained with soot. "It's me, Richard. Listen, I'm going to lead you to Jordan. He's hurt and can't walk, and if I tell you to run, do it." James nodded, apparently getting the gist of my hurried explanation. We began to sneak cautiously across the burning clearing and I did my best to ignore Pine's agonised roars as she fought the attacking wyrm in a battle for our lives. Somehow, and by a completely out-of-place stroke of luck, we managed to make our way back to Jordan without destructive incident. James ran over to Jordan, who appeared to had given up the struggle of getting to his feet, crying out happily as he was able to find his brother. I breathed a sigh of relief, walking over to my adopted siblings as well and silently rejoicing in our small handful of good fortune.

From across the clearing, the wyrm gave a sudden screech of defeat, turning tail and taking off clumsily, blood dripping from its wounds and the edges of its wings tattered with bite marks. It was out of sight within seconds, the final noises of its taking off fading just after. Pine stared after it triumphantly, though she stayed stock still, the light of the dying fire casting deep shadows over her scaled body.

"Pine?" I called out loudly, worry for my dragon mother beginning to pluck at my heart. Instead, I was stunned into silence as she staggered to the side before collapsing, not even groaning as she impacted with the ash-dusted earth.

**"Mama!"** Jordan howled, half-lurching to his feet and taking a shaky step towards Pine's crumbled body, distress flashing through his glowing orange eyes. That stirred me to action and I forced myself to run forwards, dropping all caution as I raced towards Pine, frantically trying to reassure myself that she wasn't actually dead, tears bubbling up and starting to spill from my eyes. I couldn't even register the fact that Jordan and James were following close behind me. All I could focus on was the blood dripping from numerous wounds in Pine's chest and neck, pooling around her head like a gory halo. **"Richard, no!"** Jordan suddenly called out as I sprinted to Pine, stumbling through a patch of her blood. **"Don't get -_ Richard!_"**

I screamed in agony as a searing pain flared up from my bare feet where they had touched the blood and I fell into a puddle of more dragon blood. It felt like acid on my skin and I continued to wail, curling up into a tight ball from the pain as it overtook my whole body.

The last thing I was aware of before I passed out was Jordan frantically calling mine and Pine's names, his voice filled with a fear that seemed to be from the depths of his great dragon heart.

* * *

Warmth. That was the first thing I noticed when I first came back into consciousness was the warmth. It wasn't the scorching heat of the summer, the kind that brought flies and an uncomfortable feeling of being stifled by nothing but the air. But nor was it the meagre warmth of a petty fire in the darkest depths of a bitter winter that only warmed your fingertips and your cheeks. No, this warmth emanated from inside of my very being, not quite from my heart but more towards the point of my lungs.

A low rumble fully aroused me from the thick sleep that had befallen me and I opened my eyes blearily, blinking away the bluriness that marred my sight. Pine needles in a nest-like pattern met my gaze first, piled around me as though they were built around my body. Leaves were arched far above my head, half-warm autumn sunshine weakly forcing its way through the green canopy that was just beginning to fade to glorious shades of red, orange, and gold.

The second thing I noticed was that there was an extremely off-balanced feeling weight on my back. The chill of scales was digging into my skin, even though I couldn't hear the breathing of a dragon next to me. My mouth also hurt and I licked my lips, greeted with the faint taste of blood. Something leathery was draped over my body and when I shifted, it did as well.

**"Richard?"** Jordan's gentle voice murmured close by. **"Are you awake?"**

"Yeah," I whispered back, turning my head towards the sound of the hatchling's voice. Jordan's face was, what one would say, a sight for sore eyes, despite the concern marring his beautifully shining scales. "What happened?"

**"Dragon blood is like acid to humans. Usually, it would kill them but... it did something different to you,"** Jordan leaned down and nudged something off of my waist.** "Uh... maybe you should take a look at yourself in the creek."**

"What?" I tensed, an edge of panic in my voice. What could have been so bad that it made Jordan nervous? The spotted dragon didn't give an answer and instead gestured for me to climb onto his neck and I did so, grimacing at the pain in my fingers as they dug into the small chinks between Jordan's scales. It almost felt like my fingernails had been ripped off, but I decided to ignore it for the time being. Maybe the acidity from the dragon blood had screwed up the pain sensors in my nervous system. I used that to console myself, silence stretching on between Jordan and I as he carried me to the creek.

**"Here,"** Jordan said softly, leaning down and letting me slide off of his neck and stumble to the leafy forest floor. I instinctively grasped at one of his tender, ivory horns to steady my weight but let go just as quickly when Jordan growled threateningly at me, disliking me pulling on his growing horns. I hurriedly stepped back and turned around, tripping into the creek and landing in the glassy pool with a large splash.

I sat in the water for a little while, ignoring Jordan's snickering as I waited for the cool liquid to still. After it had, I stared into the surface of the eddy and stifled a cry of shock as bile rose in my throat from the reaction to my reflection.

Wings, massive wings, were arched from my shoulder blades, shining blue scales reflecting the light and the yellow membrane sending ripples of golden light falling onto the water. Tiny fangs were digging into my lips, blood faintly smearing their tops from where they had pierced my gums. I lifted my hand to my face and shouted loudly as I saw that long talons had replaced my fingernails and the back of my hand was covered in glossy blue scales.

"Jordan," I choked out, tears welling up in the corners of my eyes as I twisted around, staring at the solid encasing of scales over my back and seeing my newfound tail waving slightly in the slow current. A tough yellow ridge lined the centre of my back, widening slightly near my wings and ending at the very tip of my tail. "Jordan," I said again and stumbled over to the dragon, burying my face in his shoulder as I began to cry.

Jordan gave a low murmur, wrapping his own wing around me as I sobbed into his scales, my shoulders shaking. I was heartbroken by my new form of being half-dragon - it felt like everything that had ever defined me had been stripped away. I felt exposed and betrayed, but I voiced all of that only in the form of the salty tears tracing their way down my pale cheeks.

"Jordan, what's happened to me?" I sniffled, digging my talon-tipped fingers into the pearly white patch on his shoulder. "I'm a monster."

**"No you're not!"** Jordan suddenly roared, moving away from me and denying me the warmth that I had been leaning on. **"You are not a monster, Richard; _never_ call yourself that again!"**

"I'm half dragon!" I screamed back, my face flushing darkly as my internal tumult grew. "How am I not a monster? Look at me - I still have hands, but they have talons! I still have lips, but I have fangs! I still have flesh, but my back is covered in scales!" My skin was heating up rapidly but I paid it no mind as I roughly grabbed my wing, gasping as I almost tore the membrane. "Look! Humans don't have wings but dragons don't have hands! That means I'm not either of those anymore: I'm a_ monster_!"

**"Shut up!"** Jordan screeched, sounding more angry than I had ever heard him before. I suddenly shrank down, once again becoming the scared thirteen year-old that had first met the dragons.** "Just shut up! You're my best friend and it hurts me when you call yourself a monster. It makes me feel like I'm not doing enough for you and I can't even ask Mama for help because - because -"** Jordan's voice trembled and his anger fell away faster than it had arisen. **"Mama's dead."**

Guilt crashed down on me like a wave as it finally occurred to me how selfish I had been acting. I was upset because I was half dragon when I had been living with dragons for almost two months now. But Pine was dead and I was whining about having scales. A renewed self-hatred filled my heart and I stared at my feet, silently cursing myself for acting up so childishly.

**"Richard,"** Jordan whispered, reaching out with one taloned paw and curling it around me. He pulled me close to him, holding me to his heart and breathing shakily as though he wanted to cry along with me.** "Don't ever think that I don't feel like you're my brother, no matter who or what are you. Mama died for all of us and you were no exception to her. Now come with me - I think there's something you might want to see. Or rather, someone. And stop feeling so depressed, we'll get you back on your feet in no time."**

I allowed Jordan to walk me back to where I had woken up, in a nest of pine nearer to the creek than the clearing had been. But James was there now and he was curled around a marbled green ovaloid with cream swirls curled around the smooth surface. It reflected the light across its curved surface, sending a pale sheen rippling over James's scales.

"An egg?" I asked curiously, tiptoeing over to the egg. James lifted his head when he heard my voice and smiled at me, shifting so that I had an easy access to the dragon egg. I crept over to it and knelt beside the ovaloid, resting my hands gently on the beautifully swirled surface, feeling the heat pulse from under my fingertips. "Pine had an egg?"

**"It's about to hatch,"** James told me, flicking his tail.** "Jordan thought you might want to be the first to meet the new hatchling."**

Silence befell us as we waited for the egg to hatch and the sun crept past the sky. I took that time examine my new dragon features, finding that the scales covered the entirety of the back of my body, creating a thick shield over my elbows and the backs of my knees. Nearer to my feet, the scales faded so that I had normal bare feet but talons still replaced my toenails, though they weren't as long as the ones on my fingers. The back of my neck was also dotted with dark blue scales, stopping before they actually touched my hair, though brown curls still hung over the cool scales. My clothes had also melted into what felt like tough dragon leather, like the kind of armour that the hunters in my village had worn when they went out to kill wyrms and such. It wasn't uncomfortable and they still felt like normal clothing, but they did cling to my body as though conformed to fit my form specifically. There was a small place where my old bite wound was, right at the place where the scales melted into my clothe, and the scales were pushed back slightly, revealing the pale skin where the wound had scarred. I also accidentally discovered what muscle was used to flap my wings and almost knocked myself out when my wing hit my head.

It took until almost sundown, but a thin crack finally spread over the top of the hard-shelled egg and a faint tapping came from inside the egg. My eyes widened as I watched a black, clawless paw punch through the creamy egg. In another couple minutes, a baby dragon with brown fluff lining its narrow face had burst out of the egg and was sprawled across the ground, sticky membrane and broken eggshell strewn about its small body.

**"I think it's male,"** Jordan padded up behind me and stared down at the tiny hatchling, who was cooing eagerly as it looked around, flapping its almost translucent wings to rid them of the pale goo. It - or he - turned to look at me, blinking his cream-coloured eyes and making a purring-like noise. Darker green stripes lined his innocent face and a small mane of brown fuzz framed his head, fading into glossy black scales farther down his body.

"He's so cute," I chuckled, gently picking up the squirming hatchling and putting him on my lap. He nipped at my fingers but since it appeared that he didn't yet have teeth, it only tickled. "May I give him a name or...?"

**"Go ahead,"** James rested his head on his paws. **"You're probably better with names than either of us. Just please don't name him anything starting with a 'J'."**

"Duly noted," I murmured, stroking the little dragon's fuzzy brown frills. He leaned into my touch, making a happy-sounding noise at the contact. I thought about a distant memory of something my mother had gotten for me at the market one time when I was little, about four years old. It had such a strange look and an even stranger taste, but I enjoyed it so much that the name had stuck in my head for years after. And now, looking at the little hatchling whose face seemed to resemble my favourite fruit, it was quite easy to decide on his name.

"How does Kiwi sound to you, little one?" I asked the dragon, staring at his pale eyes. He chirruped happily in what seemed to be a response and I laughed as he nuzzled my palm, all earlier depression vanished with the hatching of the little black dragon. "Kiwi it is, then."

* * *

**"What's that?"**

"An orchid."

**"Does it taste good?"**

"Uh... I've never tried - Kiwi, no! That wasn't an invitation to actually eat it!"

**"Plbth! It's nasty!"**

I couldn't hold back the laugh bubbling in my throat any longer. The little hatchling glared at me, though of course, he wasn't quite so little any more. He was almost twice as tall as I was and it turned out that he was growing into a very lithe, long-bodied dragon. His face had tapered even further but his cream-coloured eyes still glinted with a playful light that he expressed most wholeheartedly in everything he did. It had been a year since he was first hatched and in that time, all of us had changed in some small way.

Jordan's paw had been hurt after the wyrm attack and it was permanently twisted backwards. It never bothered him and even though he did limp slightly, you wouldn't have noticed it unless you were looking for it. James had retreated to the underground hoard that Pine kept and though I was never allowed to see it, Jordan had told me it was literally tunnels filled with gold and other gems. Either way, we didn't see James much more. And of course, I had changed as well. I had started growing horns - an uncomfortable business, I must say, it was like an eternal headache - and my teeth had grown sharper and more accustomed to tearing apart meat to eat. Hunting was still difficult since I had no advantage whatsoever in strength, even against measly jackrabbits. The last time I had tried to catch one, it had given me a solid pounding across my ribs with its back feet, leaving me bruised and humiliated for the next week. I actually spent most of that time hiding in a redwood tree to avoid Jordan's constant teasing.

Kiwi huffed at me once again, bringing me back to the present time where the hatchling was still glaring at me with creamy eyes. I shoved his shoulder roughly, unafraid of hurting the dragon. I knew well enough that he would be able to withstand my harmless punches in play. Suddenly, Kiwi started, staring at something in the bush behind me. In the next heartbeat, he had run off without a word, brown frills ruffled up in panic. I turned around, fear planting a seed in my heart to see what had gotten my adopted little brother into such a panic, but I only had time to see a dark flinthead flying towards me before pain exploded in my side, where my scales were disaligned and left a vulnerable spot to my skin.

I cried out in shock and hurt, tears blurring my eyes as I jerked the arrow out of my body, the point snapping off and remaining embedded in my flesh. I met the eyes of a hunter, his bow still drawn and his eyes wide. He had wavy brown hair, orange-brown eyes, and a sturdy complexion but all of that was drowned in the horror in his face as he saw me. Tears fell down my cheeks even faster at his disgust, reawakening my old fear of believing that I was a monster. That's all I was in this hunter's eyes, was a half-dragon_ monster_.

Against my better judgement, though my mind had clouded up past the point of actually thinking, I turned around and stumbled away from the hunter, clutching at the heavily bleeding wound in my side. Blood was already streaking down my leg and trickling into the cracks between my scales. The wound itself pulsed with a fresh ache and déjà vu came crashing down on my head.

Soon, it came to mind that I had just been stumbling along the path for hours now and was completely lost. I was too lightheaded to do more than groan, though something urged me to find shelter for the night. Subconsciously, I slowly walked over to the nearest redwood tree and reached up, digging my claws into the bark and pulling myself up. I clambered up the tree with great effort, shoulders shaking as I gasped out occasional sobs, blood smearing against the reddish flakes of wood.

Finally, I pulled myself up onto a thick branch and collapsed there, my wings falling limp and dangling from the branch. I was beginning to wonder if the arrow had been dipped in some sort of mild poison because I was feeling very lethargic and I knew from unfortunate experience that the wound hadn't bled enough for my body to go into conservative mode.

Either way, I gave in and closed my eyes, listening to my breathing slow and feeling my hope that help would come slowly drain away.

...

"There."

...

"It's the least I can do to help that poor kid."

...

"Careful - careful! Don't let the ropes slip!"

...

"There you go. Let's get you some help."

...

I groaned, shifting my wings uncomfortably, as it felt like they were pinned under my body. I opened my eyes blearily and was greeted with a smooth quartz ceiling, glowstone placed like lanterns in the corner. My first observation: my wings were pinned. That was quickly fixed with a slightly painful tug and they flared out, drooping over the edges of the table. Second observation: I had no clue where I was. Third observation: my side didn't hurt any more.

I reached out with one hand and patted the injury, soft cloth greeting my fingers and the faint scent of antibiotics reaching my nose. I glanced down, finding that bandages were wrapped tightly around my stomach and that faint drops of dark blood were all that showed of the injury. I assumed that I had been given some sort of painkillers to numb the ache but I was distracted when my stomach growled loudly, alerting me to the fact that it was empty.

I slowly got to my feet from the table I had been lying on, stretching to relieve the stiffness in my muscles and arching my wings to their full length, which was about the width of the white room I was in. I twitched my tail a couple times and smacked my lips, setting my mind to figure out where exactly I was and who had tended to me whilst I was unconscious. There was a door leading out and I walked over to it, curling my claws around the handle and pushing open the pale oaken door.

I squinted as bright sunlight poured down onto my face when I stepped outside, momentarily blinded after the gentle lighting from the room I had been in. Harsh shouts reached my ears as soon as I took another pace forwards and I flinched, my vision clearing just in time to see a sword hovering just above my chest, the hunter that had shot me with the poisoned arrow at the other end.

"Don't try anything," he hissed, sliding the sword down to rest at the bandages on my stomach. I hardly dared to breathe, although my heart rate had sped up to twice its normal pace at my unexpected fear. The blade easily cut through the cloth and it fell to the ground, revealing the tender, scarred skin halfway hidden under my scales. With a twirl of the hunter's wrist and a flash of iron, the sword was resting at my throat, hovering above my skin like a bird from the ground.

"D-don't," I choked out, stumbling backwards and falling against the wall of the building with a pained yelp. Instinctively, I bared my teeth, though I was unwilling to actually hurt the hunter. I knew I was in a bad position for my own defense - sitting against a wall with a sword at my throat, held by someone who was at a much greater physical advantage than I. This situation practically had my death message written all over it in big, bloody letters.

"Then don't attack," the hunter hissed, jabbing his sword just an inch closer to my flesh and provoking a loud squeak of fear from me. "I thought that the sedatives were supposed to be stronger than that. Of course, maybe because you're a bloody dragon, they don't have the same effect." I flinched again at his harsh, accusatory tone and shrank as far as I could into a ball. I just wanted to run away and never look back and my dragon-like instinct was also urging the flight option of the 'fight or flight' choice. I was already overpowered and had no advantage whatsoever in the predicament where I was currently sitting.

"Please," I said, tearing up as the fear began to set in my mind as a spiral of hopelessness. "_Please._"

"Reiden!" a rough, throaty voice rang out and I jerked my head around to see a tall man with a shock of light brown hair and a Welvere head acting as a helmet and framing his face walking swiftly towards us. The rest of his hunter's outfit was also made of Welvere pelt and a tail, albeit unable to actually be controlled, was swishing behind him. The name that he had called the hunter with the sword stirred a deep memory in my mind, but it was quickly forgotten in my tornado of thought.

"Denian?" Reiden said slowly, lowering the sword from my throat and tucking it into a leather sheath around his waist. Denian glared at Reiden before he bent down next to my and wrapped his strong arms around my ribs, hauling me to my feet and ignoring my scared yelp. "What if he hurts you?"

Denian huffed, but didn't answer in words. Then, a flash of greyish skin caught my eye and I saw that Denian's throat was crossed with pale, scarred flesh. I swallowed as I realised that he must have been attacked brutally and his vocal cords partially ripped with how the torn flesh was positioned.

"Th-thank you," I whispered to Denian and was given a small smile in response. I was slightly afraid of him but he had at least helped steady me and Reiden clearly respected him.

Denian gestured something with his hands and pointed at me, all the while staring at Reiden with intense blue eyes. Reiden sighed loudly and finally extended his hand towards me. "Okay, kid, first off I want you to promise that you won't hurt me or anyone else in this village."

"O-of course I wouldn't!" I stuttered, horrified that anyone would think such a thing about me. I still felt weak and hated the very sight of blood at this point. I unconsciously curled my fingers, letting my talons dig into the palms of my hands.

"Alright. Now, you've probably gathered that I'm Reiden - care to tell me your name, if you have one?" Reiden stared at me, prompting me to speak and communicating that with the look in his amber eyes.

"Uh, it's R-Richard," I took Reiden's hand cautiously and did my best not to flinch as he shook it lightly. "Where am I exactly?"

"In Dalin - the village of the great hunters," Reiden said proudly. "We helped you because you were hurt, but the plan was to restrain you just before the sedatives wore off in case you were violent. We didn't count on you waking up before tomorrow."

"Well thank you f-for saving me," I dipped my head slightly in respect. "But I can't stay here; my, uh, my family is probably worried about me."

"There's not a village around for miles," Reiden shared a confused glance with Denian and directed his gaze back to me. "Kid, who - or what - is your family exactly?"

"My human family was killed about a year ago," I stared down at my feet, almost scared to meet the hunters' eyes. "I live with dragons now. James, Jordan, and Kiwi."

"Kid - Richard, sorry - I don't think that you can go back out there," Reiden put his hand on my shoulder as if to lightly restrain me from going anywhere. I stared worriedly up into his amber-y orange eyes, nervousness coiling around the pit of my stomach once again. "You're still hurt and there's another pack of Welveres out there. Even a dragon can fall to Welveres."

"Then you don't understand!" I shouted at him, desperation to see Jordan again overwhelming my judgement. "I have to go back and warn them! They've taken care of me for the past few years - I can't just let them be killed!"

"Sorry, Richard," Reiden's gaze darkened. "These gates are staying closed for you."

It felt like my heart snapped at that moment and any last hope of freedom drained away from my spirit as my one plea to be with my adopted family was denied.

* * *

I sat in a dusty corner near the edge of the strong stone walls that framed the village of Dalin. My back was pressed up against the corner, wings folded up to my spine and tail curled over my legs. I mindlessly fiddled with a loose pebble, eyes dull and face drained of any cheerful emotion. I was bored and distraught about being trapped in the village. The younger children were scared of me, the kids my age all treated me like I was a freak and the adults downright shunned me, save for Reiden and Denian. It was a miserable life and I considered attempting to fly out of the village, despite my not knowing how.

"Hey dragon-boy," someone sat down next to me and I stole a sharp glance over at whoever had come so close to me when the rest of the village had treated me like a contagious disease.

It was a girl, around my age, with slightly wavy blond hair that hung just past her shoulders. She had on a simple grey T-shirt but her dark green eyes were free from any judgemental emotion that I had quickly grown to expect from anyone who looked at me.

"The name's Ashton, known as Ash, now close your mouth. You look like you've just seen a ghost," Ash reached out and pushed my jaw up with two fingers, effectively shutting my mouth and making me blush profusely at being caught staring at a girl like a lovestruck hatchling. "Now, dragon-boy -"

"I have a name," I interrupted Ash loudly, clearing my throat when she tilted her head expectantly. "It's Richard," I finished meekly, my voice stolen once again by her piercing gaze.

"Amazing. Now, as I was saying, dragon-boy, what's all this about having a scaled family? Some of the younger kids were talking and I got curious."

"Dragons took me in and raised me for the past year," my face fell as the realisation sunk in that Ash must have only wanted to talk to me to make fun of me or beat me down. It almost seemed that for just a few seconds that there was someone in this Notch-forsaken village that actually cared. My wings slumped again and my tail twitched dully, sending dirt puffing up under my scales. "That's really all there is to it. Now if you don't mind, I think I'm going to seek out another corner."

"I can show you a way to get out," Ash whispered just as I was about to stand up. I jerked my head around to stare at her and she gazed steadily back, unafraid as I lashed my tail anxiously. "There's a tree near the edge of the fence. You can glide out and get back to the dragons."

"Really?" my mouth fell open again, though this time it was for an entirely different reason. "You'd really help me escape?"

"Dragon-boy," Ash's eyes suddenly darkened and she stood up, grabbing my wrist and hauling me to my feet. She pulled me close enough that our faces were almost touching and it seemed that I was having trouble breathing again. "Why do you really think they don't want you going back out there? There are no more Welveres in these woods. They want to keep you close so that they can use you as a weapon to fight dragons."

"I -" I stuttered, unable to find an argument for Ash. And after all, I didn't really have any reason to disbelieve her. "They must know that I would never do that!"

"If you don't, they would kill you," Ash hissed, turning and trotting off, dragging me along behind her. "And I don't want to see innocent blood shed for the sake of killing dragons. Especially not yours, dragon-boy."

"Y'know, I'm technically almost fifteen. My birthday's on the ninth moon of autumn," I protested the 'boy' part of Ash's nickname for me.

"Fascinating. My birthday's the fifth moon of spring and I'm thirteen. I really don't give a dragon-crap about getting to know each other," Ash huffed, though when she glanced back at me, I saw something in her eyes that may have suggested differently. But she didn't indulge whatever emotion it was and I didn't bother to ask. "Well, dragon-boy, here's the tree. I trust that those wings of yours aren't just for oriental purposes, eh?"

"Nope," I stared up at the gnarled oak, seeing a branch that arched up above the cobblestone wall and guessing that was what Ash meant for me to climb. "But what will you do?"

"Buy you some time to escape," Ash stared at me and I began to get the feeling that there was already a heck of a lot of communication through the eyes in this little relationship. "Go now. The hunters left this morning, tracking what they think was an injured dragon that was wandering around the village late last night. At least, the tracks made it seem injured. One paw print was twisted around all weird."

"Jordan," I breathed, recognising the abnormality that my adopted older brother had sustained. "Ash - thank you. Really."

"Just go, dragon-boy!" Ash snapped, startling me and making me flare out my wings in surprise. "I didn't bring you here so you could pour sentiment all over me. Go!"

I quickly scrambled up the tree after Ash's harsh command, remembering how I had fled similarly up a giant redwood just days earlier. My claws sent little chips of bark falling to the ground and though the oak was small and fairly easy to climb, my heart was pounding so quickly that I almost thought that I had just skittered up a mountain instead. Freedom... freedom was so close and my dragon instinct continued to urge me forwards. As soon as I scrambled to the far branch, I launches myself out of the tree, spreading my wings until they trembled from the strain and bending my knees, keeping my limbs loose as I glided several meters past the fence. I snapped my wings back to a vertical position and stumbled onto my feet, running off to the east and following a homing instinct that I never knew I had. Jordan was waiting for me, I just knew it. Kiwi was worried and I was running to him, hair flying back and revealing my small ivory horns. James would even welcome me back, perhaps with a trinket from his hoard.

_I'm going home to my family!_

Unless of course, I somehow managed to run straight into Reiden, who was heading the same way I was with a bow in hand.

"Richard!" Reiden shouted, whirling around and seeing me standing stock still right behind him. "What are you doing?" I peered past Reiden and saw a whole group of armed hunters going along the path, led by Denian. "Answer me, halfling!"

"Uh..." it seemed that words had failed me yet again. Why did they always do that?

"Maybe the kid want to hunt down that twisted dragon with us," one of the younger hunters suggested, tossing his head and flicking a tuft of light brown hair out of his yellowy-green eyes. "You said earlier how it was in his blood, Reiden. After all, he is your son."

"What?" I cried, eyes widening as I stared at Reiden in shock. The tall hunter sighed and shoved a sword into my hands. I was barely able to hold the blade as my hands were trembling far too much while I waited for some sort of proper response. "What do you mean?"

"I was one of the survivors from Xenier," Reiden ran his hand through his hair, sighing heavily again. "Dalin was built from the remains of Xenier, but... I thought I had lost you, Richard. We couldn't find your body after the battle and I thought that my only son, my only child, had been taken by the Welveres. I was brokenhearted, but I promised that if you were still alive out there, I would find you. I just didn't... expect you to be half dragon, is all."

"Oh," I said weakly, unable to conjure up anything else worthwhile to be said - not 'oh' was the most appropriate thing to respond with, but still. English was still my weak link. It was better than the alternative that had come to mind - that being more along the lines_ 'Well why did you never look for me before you shot an arrow in my side, you dickhead?'_

"Now come on, Richard. If memory serves well, you're still a bit underage human requirements for hunting age," Reiden's eyes bored into my own and I dropped my gaze to my feet as he continued with, "but of course, you're not quite human anymore. I think we can make an exception."

"You want me to hunt?" my hands started to shake even more and the sword clattered to the ground. "The dragon you're tracking - he's the one who cared for me for almost a year! He was more like a family than you ever were and you want me to kill him?" I was shouting now, tears pooling in the corners of my eyes and my body trembling violently out of horror. "When I first became half-dragon, I called myself a monster and you know what? I may still be a monster, but I will _never_ be a murderer just for the sake of blood loyalty!" I didn't even wait to see the fear spreading over Reiden's face as I bared my fangs at him and charged, lifting my wings and springing up into the air just before I slammed into Reiden, clipping his head with one of the talons on my foot and flapping my wings strongly to gain momentum. Before long, I was truly flying for the first time, despite never learning how to. I heard a raspy shout from the hunters below me and an arrow arced through the air, striking against my shoulder blades but hardly piercing my tough scales. Elation flooded through my heart and I crowed giddily as I soared away, catching a light breeze near the tops of the redwood trees. I was home bound once again, and this time it was for sure.

"Jordan," I cried out as a flash of pearly, iridescent scales caught my eye. "Jordan!"

**"Richard!"** an ecstatic roar rose up to greet me and Jordan came barreling towards me, spiralling wildly through the air as he opened his mouth in a wide, toothy smile. He snatched me up with the front paw that wasn't twisted and held me close to his chest, rumbling my name over and over again under his breath as he fell into a glide back to the forest floor. I was laughing hysterically, pressing my now tear-streaked face to Jordan's heart and feeling his leathery paw curl more tightly around my shaking body as we descended further.

**"Richard's back!"** Kiwi's happy trill greeted me as we landed and I slipped to the ground, instantly getting tackled by the hatchling. I was still crying, but I was smiling so widely that I knew they were tears of joy. I was _home_. Back with my real family.

"Kiwi," I muttered, wrapping my arms around the hatchling's slender neck and hugging him close. "I'm so sorry that I didn't realise that someone was there sooner."

**"Are you hurt at all? Did anyone follow you?"** Jordan fretted, flicking his tail anxiously. **"I looked for you around the village, but I couldn't get in."**

Suddenly, the fact that there were hunters tracking Jordan back to us struck my mind and I scrambled away from Kiwi to get to my feet. "We have to go," I said urgently, flapping my wings to ready them, need I take off in a heartbeat's notice. "There's hunters tracking us and they could kill both of you. We have to get James and -"

**"He's not come out of his cave for days,"** Jordan cut me off, orangey eyes filled with worry. **"We tried to tell him about you, but he didn't speak to either of us. And you know, he usually makes a few minutes for Kiwi, if no-one else so we don't know what's going on."**

"Well then we'll just have to trust that he can stand his own," I muttered determinedly, my heart feeling like ropes were squeezing it tightly as if to break it. "We can't stay. Kiwi's too vulnerable and Jordan, you're the only one who can fly us both out."

**"Gotcha. Kiwi, climb onto my back and hold on tight,"** Jordan ordered, leaning down at letting the little black dragon climb up his smooth scales and perch between his largely-muscles shoulders.** "Richard? Are you coming or not?"**

"Yep," I answered, swishing my tail as I scaled Jordan's hide and tucked myself under Kiwi's lithe chest, feeling the heat from his lungs pulse above my tough scales. "Where will we go though?"

**"The forest near the sea,"** Jordan stood up fully, ruffling his massive wings.** "Trust me, we will be safe there and we can leave the past behind us."**

A sudden roar split the air and Jordan flinched, taking flight quickly and soaring off in the direction of the rage-filled howl. My blood ran cold when it seemed that it was James's voice, but shriller, more human-like screams soon pierced the air.

Jordan glided over a battlefield nearby with Dalin's great hunters all gathered in a scattered ring around James, whose scales were embedded with pure gold and gleaming rubies adorned his face, making even the smallest ray of light shine like a rainbow on his scales made of gems. Blood was pooled around several limp hunters and I saw Denian limping away as quickly as possible, though Reiden was currently hanging from James's maw, speared completely through by one of the dragon's long teeth. I felt no regret as I stared at the corpse of my human father and didn't bother looking back when Jordan flew away again, apparently reassured that his blind brother was fending for himself just fine.

We flew well into the night and my eyes were drooping just as the moon hit the peak of midnight. I was relaxed, sprawled out over Jordan's broad back while Kiwi's head was resting on my own spine, making a warm, slightly heavy blanket.

**"You can rest, Richard,"** Jordan smiled, tilting his head back to look at me. **"We're together now from this night 'till the next dawn, and every dawn after. And I will always protect you little hatchling. I promise."**

* * *

**Holy Notch. Uh... wow. 13,723 words. New record. Best thing I've ever written. Has a comic. Check my Twitter Ender731. See the comic. Observe my new style. Leave a positive review. Yell at me to go to sleep because I've been awake for 37 hours. Yell at me that this had a legit happy ending. Yell at me that I'm going insane. **


	18. Ready, Aim, Fire

**Hey y'all, it's Ender! I hope you're having a lovely, fantabulous, all-together spectacular and overall a great day and I hope to make it even better with this new one-shot! (Yes, I am very happy, what was your first clue? XD) NOTE: I do ****not**** own Minecraft, Mianite, any YouTubers mentioned, and really, I don't own anything except this story.  
**

**Song recommendation: "Ready Aim Fire" by Imagine Dragons. Quite honestly, "Who We Are" would have fit better but maybe that will be for another day... ;)**

_Ready, Aim, Fire_

"There it is," I whispered under my breath, staring at the distant glimmer of reds and green of dragon scale buildings, built able to withstand even the strongest explosions. "The City of Scales is upon us."

"We've made it so far," Twisted breathed, taking off his helmet and running a hand through his dust caked hair. I could clearly see the dark circles under his eyes, showing where he hadn't been sleeping, but he was still pressing on as strongly as ever, always there to support me. It taken almost a month for my leg to heal enough to be able for me to walk long distances, and even then I still limped and stumbled at times. But I never fell; Twisted was always there to catch me.

I had shed most of my armour when I was ill, and had left it behind at the old campsite. Most of it was so worn that it wouldn't do much good anyway, but I still had my helmet circling my ridiculously long and tangled hair, the wavy curls streaked with mud.

"There's just one more journey we have to complete," I drew my dragon-bone sword and faced the city known for its huge population of dragon hybrids, all except two long gone. Those two were the exact hybrids myself and Twisted were searching for and we had always been enemies, ever since the day we had met.

"And it's the hardest of all," Twisted sighed, raising his own sword. "Not only is it the final fight, but these are hybrids that we knew. Not that we really made friends with them or anything, but still."

"Exactly," I agreed with my companion, understanding what he was trying to get across, simply because I felt the exact same way. "We may as well search around before night falls. It certainly won't do us any good to put off the fight any further."

"And it will do us even less good if we're not at the best fighting strength we can muster," Twisted raised an eyebrow as he looked at my leg again, the exposed flesh still pink and hardly healed over. A ghost of an ache squeezed the muscle of my calf and I gritted my teeth, hating the fact that I was being seen as weak.

"I'm fine now, so just shove off," I hissed, my voice sounding unintentionally harsh. Twisted flinched at my cold tone and quickly turned his back to me to effectively cut off any apology I could have offered. Guilt stung my heart and I directed my gaze down to my feet, regretting snapping at Twisted just because he was worried about me.

"Listen, we should probably just make camp," Twisted sighed, apparently opting to just let the matter drop. "Outside of the city, of course."

"Unless you wanted to go back to your roots and stay with dragons," I said, voice now lacking any emotion. "Fire-breather."

"User, just shut up!" Twisted suddenly yelled, startling me badly as he turned to face me, eyes burning with hurt. "Please! I took care of you when you were sick and I was the one who rescued you when the building collapsed and that metal bar stabbed you. I've listened to you criticise my every attempt to make sure you're okay and that you're recovering without a single word and I can't do it anymore! I'm sorry but please... I can't do this if this is what you're going to make me go through."

"Oh Notch - Twisted," I breathed, a suddenly tight feeling of regret squeezing my heart. Twisted gave me a sad glance as his only acknowledgement before slowly walking down towards the city. I hesitated before following him, limping a few paces behind though I wasn't trying to catch up. I didn't want to get separated from him in a city of danger but he was giving off a strong vibe of wanting to be alone.

In truth, I did feel awful for hurting his feelings like that. I had never thought of Twisted as someone who could be so sensitive - you wouldn't think any less of one of the toughest dragon hunters around. But our friendship had run deep during the last month and I hadn't really noticed the fact that Twisted was no longer just my companion. He was my best friend.

I closed my eyes for just a heartbeat as I remembered the day I had gotten injured. The ground had still been shivering with the echoes of the impact when the massive warehouse we had taken refuge in gave a groan, the centre of the tin-roofed ceiling slowly caving in. Twisted gave a yell for me to move but before I could, the entire building collapsed on top of us. A steel support beam plunged straight down, piercing my leg and sending a shuddering wave of absolute agony washing over me. I screamed. Not just a shout like Twisted had uttered just mere seconds before, but a true scream of terror and pain. And I kept crying at the top of my lungs, unable to escape the anguish that continued to pulsate through my very being.

Twisted was instantly by my side, one hand on my shoulder to keep me from moving around so much and the other hand on my leg where blood was bubbling up thickly around the dull grey metal bar stuck in my calf. I was half-choking on sobs by then, shameful whimpers escaping my lips as Twisted slowly and very gently pulled my leg away, blood streaking down my skin from the puncture. And throughout the whole ordeal, Twisted never seemed to stop whispering words of comfort to me, even though his hands shook with fright and he too was wounded, though not as severely as myself.

It was because of him I had managed to summon the emotional strength to carry on this far, to persevere through sweat and blood, and what made me so upset when I found he had left to get supplies, therefore abandoning me. He was my lifeline, but how had I repaid that? By snapping at him every chance I got, teasing him without a hint of lightness in my voice to alleviate the intensity behind my taunts, and now... not even bothering to genuinely apologise to him for doing and saying such things.

"Twis-"

"No."

"What?" I stared in shock at Twisted as the dragon-hunter halted, shoulders slumped and head of ratty ginger hair bowed. "I'm trying to say I'm sorry!"

"User... I don't want apologies. I don't want sympathy. I don't want you to feel guilty. I just want this battle to end," Twisted sighed, turning around and giving me a hollow look with sad eyes. "Our home, our entire world, has been completely obliterated. We're fighting for safety from internal threats but we will never survive."

"You're not giving up!" I cried, taking a quick step over to my companion. Fear for him filled me, but for the first time in so long, a smile finally twitched at Twisted's lips.

"Far from it - but I'm almost considering the Elvish Paexan. Maybe after this it would be best. I'm sure you'd know how to make it," Twisted joked, though his eyes were still haunted with grief. "It'd probably be easiest."

"That's basically suicide!" I protested, though my argument sounded weak. The Elvish Paexan was a combination of herbs that not only sent you into an eternal sleep, but also contained a chemical from certain plants in the mixture that forced you to dream of peaceful or happy things. "That's just like you're giving up."

"User... please understand that I'm tired. I've been a warrior my entire life and it's worn me down," Twisted paced back over to me and rested his left hand on my shoulder. "It's this battle that will be my last, one way or another."

"You shouldn't talk like that," I ordered him determinedly. "We have to do this like how we started. Together."

Twisted's only response was one last, sad smile. "We should just camp here," he changed the subject, steering the attention away from himself. "I'll take first watch."

"You just told me you were exhausted, dammit," I said, before swearing when he shook his head. "Just let me watch for five hours, I promise I'm fine! If there's anything happening, I'll wake you up."

"Okay," Twisted seemed to give in far too easily but I didn't question it. I was just glad that he was finally sparing some of the burden from his own shoulders. We set up camp quickly, though not quite so speedily as we used to, back in our prime with the group of Tramplers - the close-ranged dragon slayers. Unfortunately, several of the group had actually been met with the painful fate of being trampled, but mine and Twisted's luck always seemed to be on spot with that.

"User, I'm just gonna rest for a while, okay? Wake me up when you're ready to eat," Twisted blinked wearily at me and I nodded, motioning for him to go ahead. I would never hold a nap against someone who obviously needed to relax and recover through the promise of sleep. "I'll be fine, I promise. The stress is just getting to me, is all."

"Rest. If you haven't got your health, you haven't got anything," I advised, making sure Twisted followed my instructions as he undid his armour, setting it over to the side of the tent and lying down in his bedroll, his eyes already drooping with sleep. I half-smiled as I watched him, out of his sight as he closed his weary eyes entirely, relaxing in just mere minutes as exhaustion claimed his consciousness. He seemed so peaceful in his sleep and I felt content just watching over my best friend, at the same time listening for signals of movement from down in the city. I took the time and silence to reminiscence

The day I had first met Twisted had been during my second week of training. I had just turned fifteen and was being teased by some of the elder kids in training. My elfish features of youth had stuck out like a kiwi fruit amongst a handful of grapes - I was the odd one out with my pale eyes and complexion, and even my willowy frame was unusual for teens training to fight close-ranged. So they had chosen the opportunity to pick on me and even though I knew that I shouldn't be letting their words get to me, they were.

But then Twisted had appeared and asked what was going on. The older teens had immediately retreated from him, leaving me confused. Twisted cast me no more than a scornful glance and at that moment I had seen the two dragon bone swords hanging from the cord around his waist that seemed to have intimidated the other kids. After that, we hardly spoke, but I got several glares from Twisted whenever we did.

It was only after I got top of my class in agility that Twisted's gaze softened as he glanced my way. I would later learn that he had been told I would probably be his companion when I first enlisted my talents and he had been judging me to see my strengths.

And it had apparently been the best choice any training instructor could have made.

Everything stayed quiet until around dusk, when Twisted woke up. He blearily opened his eyes and I glanced over at him, one of our last few lollipops in my mouth. The warrior sighed slowly and closed his eyes again, as though he were wishing he could continue to sleep for eternity.

"Do you think it's a good time to attack?" I asked Twisted, crunching through the rest of my lollipop and savouring the sweet burst of sugar. "I mean, you're pretty well rested and I'm on sugar high."

Twisted cracked a wide grin and nodded, grabbing the tunic he had taken off to sleep and slipping it on over his head, the worn leather dull from the dust that coated it. "Well, there's no better time to attack than when you're on sugar high," Twisted spoke wisely as he slipped his helmet on. "You're a little hummingbird."

"Wise words of wisdom, my dear Twisted," I spoke fondly to him. "And I am indeed a hummingbird at the moment."

Once we had both been geared to our full extent - which granted, wasn't much, we readied our swords and descended down into the City of Scales. It was silent, as most of the word was nowadays, but a greater threat loomed over our heads and made the lack of sound seem almost menacing. Our footsteps echoed loudly in the dusty, cobble-paved street and no conversation carried between us. I forced my muscles to stay relaxed, knowing that getting tensed up could be detrimental to my survival. If I couldn't swing my sword easily and widely, I could potentially hurt myself and not deal as many fatal hits to the hybrids.

Softer steps caught my attention and I turned my head to face a taller building to our right, the slowly sinking sun darkly outlining the skyscraper. A flash of wings made me halt and stare closer as the gleam of darker red scales faded.

"There?" Twisted whispered, following my gaze. I nodded, knowing that it would be a bad idea to just charge straight into a dragon's nest.

But we didn't expect for the dragon to come charging out.

A roar resonated through every particle of the earth as a small red dragon burst out of a second story window, black stripes lining his slender body and thickening towards his tail. There was nothing human about him and his claws were most definitely like those of a pure dragon. Even his dark brown eyes were reptilian, mere slivers in his narrow face.

**"We thought you were dead!"** the dragon snarled angrily, landing just feet in front of us, his two pairs of wings angled sharply in the air. **"Dec! You were wrong, you little bastard!"**

**"Don't go calling names to the one who found the blood to turn you into a full dragon,"** a much deeper grumble sent a portion of the building the first dragon had emerged from crumbling to the ground in a mass if scales. **"And I would like to point out that I am much bigger than you are, Ryley."**

Ryley, the first dragon, growled as an even more massive reptile slunk out out of the half-crumbled building, pure gold nuggets glittering as they cascaded from his scales. He was the shining red of dried blood but his underbelly was a paler ginger colour, though his eyes shone a fierce, flame-like yellow. Their glow broke clearly and brightly through the gathering dusk like spotlights over the dusty city.

Twisted and I were both frozen in fear, suddenly doubting whether we would truly survive our quest of vengeance and survival. One dragon might have been enough to handle but two was impossible - besides, we had come here only expecting to face a pair of half human, half dragon hybrids. But they had done something to change themselves and now... they were pure dragons.

"What should we do?" Twisted choked out quietly, barely able to be heard. "User?"

"Dammit, Twisted, just run!" I yelled my orders, panic taking over my thoughts for the first time I could ever remember. Ryley hissed at us and Dec raised his head, chest swelling and beginning to glow like the embers of a fire relighting as he drew in a breath. "We can't fight them!"

Twisted darted to the left, moving surprisingly swiftly for having such a large frame. I took the dangerous approach and turned my back to the dragons to flee to the abandoned building in the street behind me. Hot flame licked my back as I pushed at the double doors, screaming in frustration at finding them locked, but then my voice rose higher in pitch as the heat scorched my skin, charring a chunk of flesh on my shoulders. I slumped forwards against the doors, banging weakly at them with my fists as I heard Dec take another breath. Blood was already trickling down my back as my knees hit the ground.

A sudden yell from Twisted seemed to distract the dragon and I took the opportunity to limp away, barely able to struggle back to my feet. I glanced back over my pain-filled shoulders and saw Twisted being backed up to a building, weaponless as his dragon-bone sword was buried in Dec's neck, right where his third lung would have been - the fire sac.

Dec seemed royally pissed that his primary method of attack had been disabled and his teeth were bared in a soundless snarl. Ryley had focused his attack on me and his muscles were tense, ready to pounce at me and tear through my armour like it was paper. I forced myself to stay relaxed, still loosely holding my own sword as I waited for Ryley to lunge at me.

The young dragon hissed and darted forwards, lips curling away from his teeth. I stupidly stood my ground, a plan already formulating in my mind. I jumped aside at the last second, my sword flashing out and raking past the leathery skin of Ryley's jaw.

Twisted's scream pierced the air but I was too concerned about Ryley, who was shaking his head viciously, scattering droplets of his blood across the street. The dragon dove at me again and I took the advantage of his low posture to jump up, grabbing onto one of his curved ivory horns and slinging myself onto his neck, burying my sword deep within a section where his scales were slightly misaligned. Ryley screeched, thrashing his head around and throwing me off with a short yelp. I rolled for several feet after I hit the ground and lay, winded, in front of an alleyway.

Ryley was bleeding profusely now, my sword still stuck in the back of his neck where it had most like severed through his spinal cord. He had collapsed, his front paws were twitching, his mouth was half open, and his eyes were tightly shut. He would no doubt die soon.

However, Dec was doing much better at fighting than Ryley had been - Twisted was struggling weakly in Dec's claws, held very high up in the air. His weapon was still gone and there was a large gash across his forehead, helmet knocked off. He yelped again and even from this distance, I could see that his eyes were misty with tears of pain, as though something had been hurt internally.

I struggled to my feet, still short on breath but adrenaline fueling me once again. Twisted caught my gaze and his eyes widened.

"Run, User!" he shouted, gasping as Dec squeezed his talons tighter together. "Just run!"

Dec slowly twisted his head around, and upon seeing me frozen in shock, raised his paw even further... then let Twisted fall almost three stories to the ground.

There was a sharp crack and then a scream rang out over the air as Twisted hugged his arms close to his chest, blood already seeping from the new gashes and scrapes on his skin. His eyes were tightly shut and he let a strangled sob escape his lips.

"Twisted!" I yelled, taking a few running steps forwards before skidding to a halt as he shakily pushed himself to his feet, ignoring the dragon standing right next to him. He spat out a glob of blood and Dec growled unhappily, moving to stand between Twisted and myself.

"Just - just go," Twisted coughed, spitting out more blood. "I-I'll hold him off. D-don't wait f-for me."

My heart broke as he limped away quickly, not looking back even as Dec started to follow. He winced with every hasty step and I forced myself to turn away as he led Dec off, knowing that dragons preferred to hunt severely wounded prey. And of course, Twisted had no means to defend himself whatsoever.

I ran off myself, spotting fallen weapons in a heap around the building that the dragons had first broken out of. I grabbed a bow and a quiver of arrows from the rubble, scraping my knuckles against the rough concrete as I fought to tug the heavy bow free.

I heard a short wail before silence reigned once again.

I swallowed, forcing back the tears rising to my eyes. Drowning myself in sorrow wouldn't help with the final fight. Twisted was gone and now the dragon would come for me - I had to be ready.

I slowly nocked an arrow, drawing the taut string back as I waited for Dec to reappear from behind the building where Twisted had run to, sniffling as I tried to hold back my sobs of grief. Twisted had sacrificed his life for me to get the upper hand in this fight - he had died for me. I had to make the price of his life worth it.

**"User!"** Dec roared angrily, crashing around the corner just like I had expected. Twisted's sword had finally fallen from where it had been lodged in between the beast's scales and he seemed fairly pleased about it. **"Where are you hiding, you little rat?"**

"Waiting to kill you, roach!" I jeered, forcing the pain from my eyes and letting the fear melt away from my features. Dec snarled and charged me, leaving the only option for me to choose was shooting the arrow.

I cursed my luck quite loudly and colourfully as the wooden part of the bow suddenly snapped, revealing that the oaken stick was rotten and filled with termites. I dove to the side as quickly as possible, barely avoiding being snapped up in Dec's fangs, but shouting as my burned shoulders collided heavily and painfully with the ground. The other bows would most likely be in the same sort of shape but maybe a spear or two would be intact... or even better, if I could find Twisted's dragon-bone sword. It was curved like the back of a bow and I could improvise weaponry pretty well, especially when it came down to archery. Elvish genes, I suppose. I never realised how useful they could be.

I ran towards the alley where the sword must have dropped, ignoring Dec's irritated growls as he lost me, not seeing me dart away behind him. I frantically searched for Twisted's sword down in the alley, paling when I saw it next to my best friend's body. Twisted had apparently managed to retrieve his sword before he was killed, but it had done him no good - there were four large gashes over his broken form, one on his face, another on his neck, and the other two across his chest. I let out a strangled sob, horribly sickened by the sight of dark blood still bubbling around his wounds, especially the slice across his face. One of his eyes was completely coated in quickly-drying blood and the other was half open and glassy with the fog of death. Twisted had - had let himself be killed for me in the most painful way possible. I couldn't fail his spirit.

A comet streaked across the night sky. Its trail of fire lit up the buildings of around me, and it shone like stars against the glimmering scales. A crystal tear slipped down my cheek, reflecting the orangey-red light of the dying comet's tail.

I grabbed Twisted's sword, darkness once again falling across the apocalyptic world. I quickly found a dislodged scale from a building, ripped it away, and filed out two places on each end of the sword. I then took the still-intact string from the broken bow and tied it to the notches with an expertise skill that I didn't know I had. My hands flew as fast as my thoughts did as I tested the string to make sure it was tied tightly enough. Then I realised I had no material to nock the arrow on my string, seeing as how there was usually a place to lock the arrow in. I swore, then glanced down at my hands. I still had the tough bandages wrapped around them to help grip a sword better. I unwound the bandage on my right hand, wincing as I heard the thundering footsteps of Dec drawing ever closer. I fastened a small strip of it just above the midsection of the bowstring, creating the makeshift nock that I would have to use for the time being.

My arrow had practically flown from the quiver into my bow by the time Dec charged at me and I fired without hesitation, not even considering the fact that I was trapped in the alley. It misfired, however, and only sparked harmlessly against the thick scales on Dec's chest. I cursed again, knowing that I wouldn't have time to reload another arrow.

I supposed... I supposed I would die now.

I waited in an accepting silence, not trembling or showing any fear as Dec roughly snatched me up in his talons, trapping me for good. I closed my eyes, waiting to meet such a gruesome fate as had befallen Twisted. I had failed. Simple as that. I wouldn't cry, I wouldn't beg for mercy, I would just - just go.

But Twisted's words echoed through my head as I waited for a burst of pain that seemed to drag every heartbeat out before it came.

_"We are some of the last few people alive on this world; we have to take care of each other."_

_"I don't want sympathy. I don't want you to feel guilty. I just want this battle to end."_

_"D-don't wait f-for me."_

No.

_No._

Twisted gave up his life for _me._

And notch dammit, if I was going down, then I'd be going down swinging.

"Bastard," I hissed, opening my eyes to meet Dec's glowing gaze. His dragonic eyes narrowed, but I raised my bow, nocked an arrow and aimed it straight ahead. "You killed my best friend. Prepare to die."

Dec opened his mouth as if to roar and I released my grip on the taut string, sending the flint-headed arrow shooting into his dark maw. His eyes widened in shock and pain as it collided with the inside of his throat and he screeched, giant wings stiffening as a shudder ran throughout his scaly body.

"Son of a bitch," I spat as he swayed, the wound slowly killing him. Dec's grip on me loosened considerably and I swallowed, closing my eyes once more as I tumbled towards the ground, the massive carcass of a dragon following just seconds later.

The wind buffeted me and whispered soothingly past my ears, filling me with peace just moments before I hit the ground.

* * *

_I first met the people of the city of Mianite when Twisted and I were tracking a dragon. There were a few hybrids, mostly dragons, but the large population was human. Firefoxx, the leader, had greeted us with hesitance, demanding to know our cause and purpose here._

_"We're dragon-slayers," Twisted explained. "A drakaina passed by here a few days ago."_

_A dragon-hybrid with ginger hair and a ragged red shirt was standing next to Firefoxx and he narrowed his eyes, flicking his cream-tipped tail with annoyance. I stared at him and he stared back, curling his lip slightly to reveal sharper-than-normal teeth._

_"This is Dec," Firefoxx introduced us stiffly, perhaps sensing the tension that suddenly charged the air between us. "He's the co-leader of our army, along with Ryley."_

_"Another hybrid, I presume?" Twisted's voice was cold and clipped, and he was glaring very angrily at Dec. "Firefoxx, I don't know your city, but appointing dragon-bred to a high position doesn't sound like the smartest choice."_

_"Hold your tongue, stranger," Firefoxx snapped, reaching out and resting a hand lightly under Twisted's chin. I was confused until I saw a gleam of metal under the sleeve of her hoodie that she was keeping concealed. But if she jerked her hand down, the knife could slide out and from then, even the merest slash of her wrist would be enough to slit Twisted's throat. My companion, though not at an angle to see the knife, seemed to sense that there was a deeper threat and kept very still, not letting up on his enraged stare for even a second. "I have chosen strong soldiers to lead my army and they have done a fine job for years."_

_Dec lifted his head arrogantly at the praise and I fought not to whip out my sword and slice the boastful smirk right off his pale face. He was acting so haughty that he got to command an army, but he was not the commander of Twisted and I - we were part of a much more noble society, after all. One that didn't stoop so low as to invite dragons of any kind into our ranks._

_"What is happening over here?" a new voice broke in, deep and heavily laden with a slightly foreign accent. I glanced over to see another dragon hybrid, eyes thin and a scarlet hood drawn over his dark hair. His wings were as scarlet as his hood, but his scales had faded black accents, almost like soot. "Are these spies? Invaders? Old friends who got on your nerves? I know any of those are possible with you, Firefoxx," the other hybrid said amiably. He seemed cool and at ease with the situation, and there was no hostility in his eyes when he glanced at me. I decided instantly that maybe he wasn't so bad._

_"Ryley, they were merely dragon hunters passing through who decided to stop and throw some insults around at us and Miss Firefoxx," Dec frowned. "Oh but of course, since they haven't wounded us yet, they must be good people."_

_Ryley's facial features suddenly set with an icy chill and his stare became measured. His whole demeanour seemed to change and his tail swung low to the ground, brushing past the tufts of grass sticking up from the cobbled street.  
_

_"I would advise not acting too rashly, however much they seem dangerous," Ryley stalked unhurriedly over to Twisted, who was still frozen, and stared at the dragon-hunter. "This one... he has traces of dragon blood. A traitor to his own kind; typical."_

_"What? Typical for a dragon? How right you are," Twisted sneered, abruptly falling silent as Firefoxx revealed her hidden switchblade, holding it up to my companion's throat. I stepped up to Twisted's side, raising an eyebrow when Ryley made no move of defense like I would have expected. The hybrid merely gave me a wry smile and lowered Firefoxx's hand, whispering something in the girl's ear. Dec's gaze was blazing with fury at the motion of peace but he held his tongue, waiting to see what would happen next._

_Finally, Firefoxx sighed and tucked her knife back away. "My apologies. I was only defending my friends. Now, if you would kindly get out of my city before I kick your asses into a dragon's mouth, I would appreciate it. Good day." With that, Firefoxx stomped off, Dec trailing after her - but not without him shooting one last dirty glare over his shoulder at us._

_"Eh, yeah... don't mind them," Ryley rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, giving us a fairly apologetic smile. "I get that you hunt my kind - well, at least part of my kind - and I'm not too thrilled about it. But like, can we just let the matter pass?"_

_"I guess," I muttered, realising that Ryley seemed to be like a teenager at heart. He had acted mature and fair around the others, but when he could be casual, it seemed he felt free to do so. "So I guess we'll leave."_

_"Unless you want to get more than your fair share of wounds from a fight with Firefoxx, yeah. That would be advisable. Off you go!" Ryley waved a cautious goodbye, which Twisted barely returned and I only acknowledged with a slight dip of my head. We left the city, confused, wary, and hardly sure why Ryley had seemed so friendly._

_Later, he learned that we had been tracking down and seeking to kill a small drakaina - his sister - and he had never forgiven us, especially when we passed back through with her uniquely black-tinged hide over our shoulders._

* * *

The elves had a civilisation underground to protect from the asteroids. Crystals reflected even the smallest light source and kept the place well lit, seeing as the ceilings were positively covered in the natural rock. They grew food and kept basins full of cold, clear water from springs. And they also rescued me from the ruins of the City of Scales, where they had found me bleeding to death, next to the bodies of a dragon and my best friend. My physical wounds had since healed quickly with the strong medicine of the elves, but my emotions were still in a shattered state of no repair.

Taerntym, leader of the small elvish society, entered my room and glided gracefully between the vine-like pillars of quarts. His pale green eyes were filled with sadness and his silver silk cloak trailed forlornly on the ground, brushing against his pale bare feet. I was sitting on a chair overlooking the waterfalls created from the tumbling springs in the caves, blankly watching the activity down below. Elf-maidens gathered herbs in the farms scattered about the hollow, while elf-warriors paced the terraces of rooms carved into the hollow's walls like mine was. The civilisation was booming and everyone seemed content with their peaceful crystal hollow - everyone except me.

"You still grieve," Taerntym stated, kneeling down next to me. I nodded, sniffling slightly as my eyes stung. I hardly cried about it anymore, but sorrow continued to weigh down my thoughts and actions. "It has been over a month, you have found no relief in anything and this sadness... it is destroying your soul. I - I hate to ask this of you... but if you so desired, we have all the herbs for a dose of Elvish Paexan."

"Let me," I rasped, blinking as the image of Twisted sprawled in a pool of his own blood appeared freshly in my mind again. "Tw-Twisted talked about it before and I thought he was going m-mad. Now... I think I agree with him."

"I understand," Taerntym dipped his head. "Here. Follow me." The Elvish lord extended his hand to me and I took it, allowing him to help me to my feet. My legs trembled, as did my whole body. I had beating myself down so much mentally that it was starting to have an effect on my physical strength as well, since the depression of Twisted's death had finally consumed me. "If it is any consolation, those dragons deserved a much worse fate than what they met - they poisoned themselves with pure dragon blood to erase any trace of their human legacy." I nodded numbly, not really caring how exactly Dec and Ryley had become dragons.

Taerntym led me through the maze of hallways in the caves, exchanging a quiet word of explanation to anyone in the halls who gave us a questioning glance. It didn't take it long for us to reach a secluded hallway of burial chambers, only a couple already covered with a stone to signify a body inside.

I knew the one adorned with a dragon tooth sealed into a slab of quartz was Twisted's.

On the opposite side of the room were more carvings in the wall, but they were lined with glittering obsidian in the ceiling and edged with silk cloth in pale colours. They were longways instead of a cylinder straight into the wall like the burial chambers, and I stared at them with a pained gaze.

"Are you sure about this?"

"There's nothing left to say now... so yeah."

"Here," Taerntym handed me a small vial of pale minty green liquid and gently pushed me down onto the obsidian and silk lined notch. "I - I wish you goodbye."

"Thank you for your kindness," I returned the courtesy with a bow of my head, only hesitating for a second before swallowing the vial of liquid.

My eyes felt heavy just mere heartbeats later, my pulse slowed, and my head slowly fell onto the cool silk below me as I drifted into my eternal slumber.

_The land of my dreams was my old home, back in the foothills of the mountains. The beautiful cobblestone house of my childhood was dark grey against the rising sun of a new day. Birds sand from the bushes and a cool breeze rustled the blades of grass under my feet, making it sound as though the stalks were greeting me. The smell of some sort of stew wafted pleasantly through the air and I smiled, memories of warm suppers in this valley flooding back through my mind. But there were three people were waiting for me - my mum, dad, and... and Twisted._

_"Welcome home," Twisted smiled warmly, not even the scars from his death visible anymore. He looked just like he had before the apocalypse - strong, cheerful, and friendly. My mum and dad both grinned at seeing me, my mum's elfishly pointed ears tucked under her long auburn hair. "Oh gods, User, you're here!"_

_Twisted ran at me and catapulted into a massive hug. I laughed at his enthusiasm and embraced him back, tears of joy rising to my eyes. Even though it was a dream, I would never wake up. I would spend eternity here..._

_With my best friend._

**D'awwwwww... to anyone who wanted this to be a Twisser 'fic, keep in mind that you can imagine how their relationship would grow in User's dream and create your own fantasies. But I would like to say that TheTwistedGuy was the one who gave the suggestion for his character to die defending User - honestly, I had been planning for him to die in his own fight - but I liked Twisted's idea so much I decided to go with it. And yes, to my readers, that means I read him Warriors on the TeamSpeak and told him a bit about this one-shot after finishing it. But before User read Immortals aloud and greatly embarrassed me. XD**

**And in celebration and in honour of people who've helped me get this far, I would like to feature a short, original story by DiamondOasis37 - she's a super duper good friend of mine as most of you already know - so I present to you "Fractions"!**

* * *

_Fractions_

Mark stared at the carpet, hands shaking slightly. It wasn't even. There was a big white stripe in the middle and two blue stripes on the side and it wasn't fucking even. A hand rested on his shoulder and he looked up at Alexia, quickly grabbing her other hand and putting it on his other shoulder because the pressure needed to be even or her would end up breaking his shoulder from trying to fix it and then have to break the other to be even and-

"I'll get a new carpet. Come on, let's just go." Her voice raised at the end and Mark let out a shaky breath that evenly fanned out over his lips.

"Say that again… monotone, please…" She repeated herself, a good three times before he approved and grabbed his jacket that was perfectly hung on the hook that was centered on the door, putting it on two arms at once. Alexia grabbed her purse, holding it out in front of her just so it was even to please Mark and not get him worked up. The two left the house, her locking it as Mark walked over to their car, staring down at his feet and making sure he took even steps. He opened the driver's car door at a perfect ninety degree angle, sitting down in the middle of the seat. Alexia soon sat down next to him, handing him the keys and closing her door as he jammed the keys in. They were off as soon as he did and he made sure that they were perfectly centered in the road.

XxX

The pair sat down one inch apart and two inches from the end of their picnic blanket, holding hands in between them as they watched the sunset. Mark's gaze darted here and there, looking at parts where the sunset wasn't even. None of it was even and he couldn't do a damn thing because the world was just out to get him. If they weren't, why did they give him this horrible disease? Why couldn't he be normal and not stress over the fact that one button on his polo wasn't buttoned but his hands were too fucking shaky to fix it? Why did he have to wash a knife for five minutes before using it even though he just put it in the damn dishwasher? Why did he have to be so fucked up?!

"Mark, honey, you're shaky." Alexia squeezed his hand and he grabbed her other hand, squeezing it quickly. "Sorry."

"No, no, it's not you, it's me. It's always fucking me because there's something wrong with me and I can't even handle it when you kiss my left cheek and not the right. When you try to say that you love me and I ask you to rephrase the sentence because 'I love you' is three words and that's an odd number so you always add my name in and then kiss me but we end of kissing twenty-one, twenty-two, twenty-three, twenty-four times because our lips weren't lined up! Alexia, I love you so much, but I can't comprehend how you even think of loving me."

"I love you because you're you." She pulled his shaky form into a hug, making sure to hug as tightly on the right as the left and that her hair wasn't falling only one side of his face. They stayed embraced for minutes on end, pulling apart to lay down and look at the stars. Or, Alexia did. Mark stared at her symmetrical face because the stars weren't evenly spaced.

Their half-comfortable and half-I-don't-know-what-to-say silence was broken when he spoke. "I hate fractions."

"Hm?"

"They're not whole and can never be because then they're not a fraction anymore. I'm a fraction. I'm not whole because there's something in my brain that's making me this over-obsessed shit. And I can't ever be normal because that's not what I'm supposed to be. It wouldn't be what people have labeled me as for years and years. Alexia… I'm just a problem that's confusing and people sometimes give up on figuring me out but others stick to it. You stuck to it. I know I've said this already but I love you so fucking much. I don't know how I'd function without you."

"I love you too."

XxX

"I'll be right back babe! Just gonna buy some meat for the stew."

"Make sure it weighs even, please."

"Of course." She leaned over and kissed his cheek, shuffling to his other side to kiss the other before smiling and walking out the door. Mark let out a shaky sigh, hands fidgeting as he thought of something to do because he needed to be always productive or he would start freaking out over the littlest things.

Not like he doesn't already.

He swiftly went over to the sink, grabbing the rag hanging from the faucet and the cutting board on the counter besides it, washing it thoroughly for a good five minutes before pulling out two carrots and two potatoes, washing those as well before beginning to cut them up as evenly as he could. Of course, after he washed the knife. It was going all fine and dandy until his hand slipped on the damp hold of the knife and he cut a carrot unevenly. Tears sprung to his eyes.

He didn't want to feel this way. Not one bit. But he just did.

Soon salty tears trickled down his face and blurred his vision but he kept on cutting the damn carrot, unable to see if he was doing it unevenly. Anyone that would have seen him right now would have laughed at the sight of a grown man crying as he cut carrots. The voices in his head laughed at him, too, until he cut his wrist accidentally and pain was all he could feel.

He dropped the knife down on the cutting board with a harsh clatter and wiped away the tears as best as he could, staring down at the open gash on his pale skin. Crimson blood trickled from the wound and onto his shirt. The board. The vegetables. It was all uneven and messy and red was everywhere and tears came to his eyes once more and he didn't even bother trying to keep them back as he stared at his arms next to each other. Without a single regret he picked up the knife and carefully slit the other wrist, managing a shaky grin as he looked at his evenly slit wrists. At least something was even.

The grin fell as soon as he looked back at the mess of blood, carrots and potatoes on the board. He stabbed the knife into the middle of the board, dots dancing in vision as blood gushed out from the cuts and he propped himself on the countertop with his arms, shaking like a leaf in strong wind. He couldn't take his eyes off of the mess he had made and the crimson blood from his wrists and the way they mixed with his tears and ran easier and stained his clothes and pooled on the ground and…

It was like someone was tearing him apart from the brain out and he couldn't do anything.

Tears streamed down his face and he couldn't get one phrase out of his mind: "I'm terrible."

Terrible for being born this way. Terrible for being unable to withstand it. Terrible for not being perfect _just like he wanted everything to be._

Mark fell to his knees, cut arms scraping roughly against the side of the countertop and slicking a trail of more dark blood across the smooth granite surface. The blood itself was a solid scarlet with no specks or abnormalities. He fixed his gaze on the blood as he slumped to the ground, head resting in the sticky liquid, cradling his arms close to his body. He could no longer care about the symmetry of himself, not when the darkness behind his eyes was growing, as was the pool of blood on the floor. Everything was falling to pieces around him and he couldn't do a single damned thing about it.

_"Give up,"_ his mind urged, the blood continuing to stream down his quickly paling skin. The fullness of life was leaving him faster than it could ever be saved and he obliged willingly, his eyes closing in tandum as his heart finally stopped beating.

And the pressing silence of the darkness was welcome to his weary mind.

* * *

**And let's have a big round of applause for Diamond! Give her your love!**


	19. Still Here (Conclusion)

_Still Here_

I hear your voice on the wind

Laughter of years when we were young

When we saw the world as a friend

Before venturing out over waves

To seek the land of fortune

The wind drove us there

Never again to be homebound

Together, and alone

With another Captain by your side

Our island in shatters

Still we've not died

Amongst the ash

We stand together

And a traitor casts you down

Imprisoned forever

Though with hope we try

To save you and our lady

Dreaming of darkness

All-consuming, we were afraid

But we sailed on

The wind beneath our boat

And your voice in the wind

Flowing past my coat

Guiding us onward

To the land of the goddess

The lord of fire held us back

I alone in the tempest

As he fell, slain by one

And we traveled on

To restore the peace

But there's no justice; you were gone

Never to return

Your eyes dead

And your body failing

Not a word you said

Except to fall to my sword

My heart breaking

As I stand on the cliff

Alone, head aching

With your voice in the wind

* * *

**The story of Captain Capsize... I would definitely recommend Still Here by Digital Daggers for anything related to her.  
**  
**Sorry for my absence as well, I'm afraid that I'm moving on from this fandom... into a world of devils, angels, and songs. But if you wanna see some more words, I have uploaded a video on my YouTube, Beating Hearts, where I read a poem kind of like this and play bass in the background. It's pretty lame but it's all I have.  
**  
**Anyway, I wish everyone the best... I hope you will still enjoy the stories I have left you... but it's time.  
**  
**Farewell, my friends.**


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